Out in the Cold
by Haitus80
Summary: On one of the coldest nights on record Daryl Dixon stops for a stranded motorist. She's leery, of course, but finally agrees to let him give her a lift home. That one kind gesture on his part, and one act of rebellion on hers, starts the domino affect that changes them both. (Caryl AU no ZA) Unapologetic fluff ensues. You have been warned. Rated for sexual situations.
1. Chapter 1

**Evening my downtrodden comrades! I wrote this about a year and a half ago and just never really got around to wrapping it up. I didn't plan on posting it because it is kind of... I don't even know. Halohunter compared it to a beautiful sweet cinnamon roll that was too precious for this world. So I was like, yeah, no one wants to read 40 plus chapters of goo. But I have a feeling that maybe that's exactly what we all need. I'm about three chapters away from finishing it so this can be one of those that I update all the time. Hope your chins are up and thank you for giving this fluffy treat a taste. lol Okay, that was lame as fuck. Anyway, hope you enjoy. =)**

 **Chapter One**

Daryl peered up at the clock and grumbled to himself. He had only agreed to stay until two a.m. because he needed the money. It was one fifty eight and he could have sworn that the second hand on the clock had started moving slower. He was worn out, taking on as many hours as they would give him. Ever since Merle got arrested six months ago he had been working his ass off to save up every cent that he had. What little money didn't go to rent on the shabby house he lived in went into his sock drawer.

Finally the clock struck two and he grabbed his jacket and hurried out of the office before the phone could ring. In thirty minutes some other poor bastard would show up and he would be the one stuck going out in this bitter cold to help some stranded bastard. Driving a tow truck wasn't too bad, if he was being honest with himself. He didn't have to deal with his coworkers and when he did have to deal with people he didn't have to worry about small talk.

"Son of a bitch," he growled, blowing into his cupped hands after he was seated behind the steering wheel of his beat up Chevy. The cold was brutal but the cab of the truck was relatively warm since it had been running for the last twenty minutes. He had a forty minute drive back to his house and he could only hope that the heater at home hadn't given out again. If it had then his pipes would likely be busted and he knew that the slum lord that owned the place would take his sweet ass time getting everything fixed. The heater and the pipes would be out of commission for a while.

With a heavy sigh he pulled out of the parking lot and began the forty minute trek back home. It hadn't snowed in a few days so the roads were clear, which explained the lack of call ins from stranded motorists. Most people probably weren't stupid enough to be out in cold like this, not unless they had to be. That's why he scowled when, far up ahead, he saw a car on the side of the road. He slowed once he got a little closer and could see someone leaning against the bumper.

"It's not your problem," he muttered out loud. "Your off the clock."

He scowled harder when he saw that the person leaning against the bumper was a woman. She was wearing a heavy coat. It wasn't like she would freeze to death if he drove on by. He told himself that several times before he pulled off onto the shoulder. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel before he finally opened the door and hopped down. Merle would have handed him his ass for doing something like this but it was too damn cold for him to leave some woman out on the side of the road alone. It wasn't a busy road by any means and maybe the next person that drove by wouldn't be just some helpful jackass like himself. He sure as hell didn't need that on his conscience.

The woman was coming around the side of the car as he approached and when she saw him she stopped in her tracks, glancing around like a rabbit in a trap. Of course she was probably afraid of him. She was just one woman stranded on the side of the road and he was some weird fucker walking right up to her. If he was a woman he'd probably be nervous himself. He stopped a few yards away and cleared his throat, since it didn't look like she was going to say anything first.

"You break down?" He asked like a dumb shit. Of course she was broke down. She sure as hell wasn't out here stargazing.

She nodded and pulled her coat further around herself. "My husband got a ride back home so he could call someone to pick up the car so they should be back any minute."

He could hear fear in her voice as her eyes kept going to the road. He couldn't help but scowl. What kind of piece of shit left a woman standing out in the cold, alone, while they go off to call someone? "How long you been out here?" He asked suddenly, the question coming unbidden.

"Not very long at all. Thank you for stopping but I'm fine, really. It shouldn't be much longer before he shows up so you should go."

Something dawned on him then. She really didn't seem very scared of him exactly but it was clear that she was afraid of something. He knew all too well what that feeling was like and he could read it on another person easily. He couldn't make out many of her features but her large eyes reflected the moonlight easily and for some strange reason he felt anger spike his blood, causing him to take another step towards her. "What did the car do? I might be able to get it rigged so you can at least get home," he offered, knowing he wouldn't be able to leave her standing there. Too bad her husband didn't have the same qualms.

She shook her head. "No, you don't have to go to the trouble. He said to just stay here and make sure no one messes with the car and he'd be back."

And it was clear that she had better listen to him or face the consequences. He took another step towards the car and the woman took a step back. He stopped, not sure what he should do at this point. He didn't have a cell phone and it was obvious that she didn't have one either or she wouldn't have been stuck guarding the piece of shit car on the side of the road. "You sure you don't want a ride or something? It's only getting colder."

She shook her head so hard that she nearly lost her hat and she took another step back. "Thank you, really, but I should stay."

The thought of leaving her there bothered him, probably more than it should have. He didn't know her from Eve and really, this wasn't any of his business. He would have been better off just driving on past because now he wasn't going to be able to stop wandering if she had frozen to death or gotten her ass picked up by some freak. But he couldn't force her into his truck. So he simply nodded and turned back to his truck.

"Thank you," she called.

He stopped in his tracks because she wasn't thanking him for stopping. She wasn't thanking him for offering to take a look at the car or for the ride. She was thanking him for leaving. He could hear it in her voice. Without a backwards glance he started walking again, a heavy feeling coming over him. Tired or not, this was going to be a long night.

It took him fifteen minutes before he made it to the nearest twenty four hour mini mart. He pulled in, in serious need of a cup of coffee and he knew that this place offered the biggest cups. He also knew the guy that worked the night shift and he knew he would be sucked into small talk but for some reason, tonight he didn't mind. The bell jingled over his head and the guy behind the counter looked up sharply. He grinned and tossed the comic he had been reading down on the counter.

"Dixon! You come to keep me company tonight? It's been dead in here," Glenn said as he glanced out the window.

"Nah. Just headin' home," he said gruffly.

"You hear that by dawn it's gonna be ten below? What the hell is with this weather anyway? You know it's bad when it's too cold to even snow."

Daryl filled up the large Styrofoam cup but paused with the pot in his hand. What if the woman's husband didn't come back? What if he'd gotten into an accident or something? The temperature was dropping quickly. "Damn it," he growled, grabbing another cup and filling it up. He put the lids on both, shoved some sugar and cream packets into his pocket and hurried over to the counter.

Glenn raised his brow at the second cup. "Hot date?"

Daryl shook his head and snorted. "Cold one."

Glenn frowned.

Daryl shook his head. "Some dumb ass is stranded a few miles back and she's too stupid to let me look at her car or get a ride. Least I can do is bring her some damn coffee."

Daryl didn't like the smile that spread over Glenn's face. "I never pegged you for the knight in shining armor type, Daryl. You're usually much to crabby for that."

"Shut up, Rhee," Daryl grumbled.

"It's on the house. Now hurry up and get that woman warm. We sell condoms, you know," he laughed as Daryl glared, holding up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. But you know we're open twenty four hours if you change your mind."

"She's married you ass," he said as he turned towards the door.

"Oh man. This is gonna be good. I'll see you tomorrow and you can give me details!" He called.

"It's my day off, asshole. You won't be seeing me for a few days." He heard Glenn laugh as the door swung shut. The kid had been right. He could have sworn it felt colder. He didn't know why the hell he was doing this. It was pretty damn stupid, actually. He needed to get his ass home, get some food in his system and deposit his paycheck into that damn sock drawer.

He sped. He never sped. Most of the cops around these parts knew of his brother and would love to have an excuse to give him a hard time, even though he had never been busted for anything in all his life. Maybe the woman's husband finally came for her. He hoped that were the case because he really didn't know what to say to her. She'd surely think that he was coming onto her doing something so goddamn chivalrous, and idiotic. Hell, he didn't have time for anything like that. Not to mention she was a married woman and he hadn't even gotten a real glimpse of what she looked like. For all he knew she was a goat face. But he remembered her eyes and the way the moon reflected in them and realized that even if she was a goat face, he could look at those for a long time and not notice anything else.

He almost slammed on the breaks as the thought entered his mind. "What the fuck kind of pansy ass Shakespearean shit was that?" He said to the empty cab. "Jesus Christ."

He drove the speed limit after that, every now and then he would glance in the rear view mirror to give himself a good long glare for being such a sappy dumb ass. When the car came into view he pulled up closer to it than he had the first time he had stopped. He could just make out the outline of her figure huddled in the drivers seat and he made a vow to himself that if he ever saw this woman's husband out and about, he was going to kick his ass and lock him in a deep freeze for a few hours.

He didn't waste any time because if he did he might drive away, so he walked right up to the window and tapped on it. He could have sworn he saw her sigh before she opened the door and stepped out. He backed up a good couple of feet, giving her room so she didn't feel like he was trying to crowd her.

"Here," he said quickly, shoving the coffee cup towards her.

"I..." Her voice trailed off as a thin line of steam rose up from the opening in the lid of the cup. "Thank you so much," she said gratefully, taking the cup in one gloved hand. "I thought he would be here by now."

"Well, he ain't and it's only getting colder so you can let me take you home or I can stop back by that gas station and have my friend call a tow truck to come get you. I ain't leavin' some woman out here to die tonight." He said that all in a rush. The headlights gave him a view of her that he hadn't gotten before and, to his dismay, she was definitely not a goat face. He wished she was a goat face though. Driving an ugly woman home would have been better than driving a woman home that he wanted to stare at. She didn't look much older than himself, early thirties at the most.

She looked around, her eyes unable to hide her fear. "I don't know if we can afford a tow," she said more to herself than to him. "Really thank you but I should-"

"No. Call a tow or get in the truck. Those are your options. I can't go home and get any sleep knowing I left somebody stranded." He knew he could get the car towed for free. He worked for the fucking company for Christ sakes, but there was no way he was going to go out of his way, and face the wrath of his boss, just so some cheap asshole could save a few bucks. Not after leaving his wife like this.

She took a few sips of the coffee, moaning softly as the hot liquid warmed her some. The sound had him swallowing hard and he felt his face flush at the thoughts that he had to mentally shake from his mind. What in the hell was his damn problem, anyway?

She finally looked up, meeting his eye. "Okay. Just let me get my purse and you can take me home." She didn't sound thrilled at getting out of the cold at all, making him wonder what her life could be like when she would prefer this over her own warm bed.

He wasn't so sure if his house would be warm but he knew that his bed wouldn't take long to heat up if she wanted to- "Okay, lets get you home then," he said, grinding his teeth together and forcibly willing those thoughts out of his mind.

She gave him easy directions and was pretty surprised that they almost lived in the same neighborhood. He was more on the outskirts in a rougher part, of course, but she didn't live far from him at all. She had thanked him several times on the way to her house but he had shrugged it off and kept his eyes on the road, refusing to look at her.

Her house was small but well kept. Much nicer than his beat up rental. The lights were on, causing him to frown. "You think your husband's home? Looks lit up like a Christmas tree." He risked a glance at her and saw that her head was down. When she looked up her expression was embarrassed.

"I didn't think he would..." Her voice trailed off and her wide eyes went back to the house. He hadn't pulled up in the drive because she had asked him not to. He didn't ask her any questions about it though, already guessing the reasons and not wanting to have that on his mind as he drove away. "Anyway, thank you again. You didn't have to go to all that trouble."

"What's your name?" He asked suddenly, not wanting her to go into that house.

The ghost of a smile graced her lips. "Carol. Carol Peletier."

He nodded and watched as she climbed out of the truck, walking slowly towards the house. She glanced back twice, both times he gave her a small wave. She waved back. Once she closed the door he drove off. When he got to his house he slid out of the truck, the coffee hadn't done anything at all to chase the exhaustion away. He had been pulling as many shifts as they would let him and since they were short handed he was able to get as much overtime as he'd wanted. He was bone weary and ready to collapse and sleep until he couldn't sleep anymore.

Before he slammed the door to the truck he happened to look down at the seat. Sitting there, was Carol's purse. He knew he couldn't take it back to her tonight. He was pretty sure that her husband would already be pissed that she hadn't stayed with the car. He didn't want to cause her anymore grief. He snatched it off the seat and slammed the door. He'd figure out some way to get it back to her.

He ignored that small jolt of excitement that he felt at the prospect of having an excuse to seek her out. When he made it inside he discovered that his luck had held. The living room was warm, the heater had held up again. Tonight hadn't turned out too bad after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**I am so glad you all seem to like this so far and I am even more glad that I didn't throw this story away. Thanks for reading! You guys are awesome =)**

 **Chapter Two**

Carol stood in the small foyer for a few long moments, listening to the sounds of the house. He wasn't in a rage or she would have heard it. He had likely ended up at home and had started drinking. That was what he did every Friday. Tonight he had gotten a late start but he was a creature of habit. Closing her eyes, saying a silent prayer, she stepped into the living room.

She was filled with disgust at the site before her. There he lay, kicked back in his lazy boy with an empty fifth of Jack Daniel's on the small table. He was slack jawed and drooling. He had left her out there for hours after getting a ride home from a buddy, and was now warm and cozy, passed out in his chair. And the saddest thing about it all was, it was the best Friday she had had in a long time. Standing on a dark lonely stretch of road, freezing to death in the middle of the coldest night of the year, was better than anything that could have happened in this house.

Her mind tried to wonder to the man that had been so kind to her but she pushed thoughts of him to the back of her mind. What she needed now was to get warm. She was chilled all the way to her bones. She turned off the lights, careful not to make a sound, even though she was sure he wouldn't be waking up. She searched her closet for her warmest flannel pajamas and then ran a bath so hot that she hissed as she lowered herself into it.

This was so much better than the scalding shower she normally would be taking on a night like tonight. It felt good to relax a little, knowing that monsters did sleep and her own wouldn't be waking until at least noon. She wouldn't be standing in the shower, scrubbing the smell of him off of her. She cringed and let her mind drift as the hot water soothed her aching muscles and thawed her out.

She had been terrified that Ed would show up while the man was there, offering to help her. She was still worried about what she would say to Ed tomorrow. She could always claim that she just walked home. He would believe it and it wasn't like he would show any sort of concern for her walking so far alone in the cold. What she feared was how he would react to her disobeying him. He had told her to stay with the car until he came back for her. She refused to worry about that right now. She was going to enjoy the rest of her evening and then she would worry tomorrow. There was always tomorrow to worry. Always.

She stayed in the tub until the water started getting cold. She didn't bother blow drying her hair, knowing that she would definitely regret that in the morning. Ed hated her hair but she was pretty sure that he hated everything about her. She had thought about leaving several times in the five years they had been married but she didn't see true escape. He would find her regardless of where she went and the things she endured now would be nothing compared to what he would do to her if he ever found her after leaving him.

She went back downstairs for her purse. She needed to take her pain medication from her last "trip down the stars" but her purse wasn't sitting on the table by the door where she usually put it. She went through the house, even through the kitchen even though she knew she hadn't even been in that room since the man had dropped her...

She froze, her hands gripping the counter in front of her. Panic clawed it's way up her throat as she realized that she must have left her purse in the man's truck. Her wallet, her license, her house key, her insurance card, her medication. And she hadn't even gotten the man's name. She had no idea who he was. She hadn't asked for his name so finding him was going to be next to impossible. And then something else occurred to her. Something that had her panicking even worse. What if he came by the house to give it back to her! Ed would kill her!

She let go of the counter and took a step back. What was she going to do? What would she tell Ed once he realized it was gone? She couldn't do anything without him accusing her of cheating, even though she never went anywhere other than the grocery store and he called the house all hours of the day to keep check on her. Even the neighbor, one of Ed's old friends from High School, kept an eye on her. Too close an eye actually. Any time she was in the back yard working in the garden she could feel the man's eyes on her. It made her sick but she would never tell Ed about it. He would accuse her of something for sure.

She hurried up the stairs to her bedroom. She hated the room and everything that it stood for. She felt overwhelmed, which was normal for her, but she burrowed into the blankets. She wanted to stay awake and enjoy the peace and quiet but she knew it was late and if she slept later than Ed she would have hell to pay. Sleep didn't come easy, however. When she wasn't worrying about her missing purse she was studying images of the stranger's face. A face that she hadn't been able to look at much for fear of staring. He had been so nice to her and for no reason what so ever. Why couldn't she have fallen for a man like that? Well, she hadn't really ever fallen for anyone. Ed had been nice enough and after a year of dating he had asked her to marry him and she had said yes just because she figured it was time to get married.

And it was the biggest mistake of her life.

She rolled over, the very last conscious thought she had was of how the man had awkwardly shoved the coffee towards her. For her the first time in many years, and despite her quiet terror of what the morning would bring, there was a smile on her face as she finally drifted off to sleep.

The tranquility didn't last. Ed was up earlier than usual for a Saturday morning and she woke up to the sounds of his booming voice coming up the stairs. She scurried out of bed, unable to predict what would happen now that he knew she was home and the car was not.

"What the hell did you think you were doing!" He yelled as he crashed through the door.

She didn't meet his eyes. She knew not to do that. "It was freezing so I came home when you didn't show up."

He sneered but he didn't walk towards her. She was grateful for that. "You better hope to God nothing has happened to that car Carol. Jesus, I ask you to do one thing and you couldn't even do that." He stormed out of the room and then shortly after she heard the front door slam closed.

She dressed herself hurriedly, knowing that she needed to have something cooked when he came home. She hated even going to the trouble because no matter what she did, it wouldn't be good enough.

She pulled out the ingredients for omelets. She knew he liked them and maybe it would put him in a better mood. She laughed bitterly, shaking her head. Nothing was going to put him in a better mood. There was nothing she could ever do to please that man. God knows she tried. She was almost finished when the phone rang, causing her to jump and almost drop the food she had just prepared.

Expecting it to be Ed she hurriedly answered with a breathless, "Hello?"

There was a pause on the other end and then someone cleared their throat. "Is this Carol?"

Something strange happened when she recognized the voice on the other end. Her palms grew damp, her stomach fluttered strangely and her pulse quickened. "Yes, it is. Is this..." The sentence trailed off because she didn't know his name.

"Daryl. Daryl Dixon. Look, I uh... you left your bag in the truck last night. I didn't go through it or anything. I just looked your number up. I called the only Peletier I could find."

"Oh, I'm glad you did. I realized last night that I hadn't even gotten your name," she said, still a little breathless but this time not from fear.

"Well, I can bring it by if you want. You don't live very far from me at all and-"

"No!" She said quickly, unable to hide the frantic tone. There was no way he could come here. "I mean, can I call you? I can pick it up myself. Maybe I can meet you somewhere else? If it isn't too much trouble, of course. I know what a hassle this must be-"

"It ain't. It's my day off so I'll be around," he said, cutting her off.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I can't believe I left it. It was stupid of me."

"Well, you were kind of froze so you were probably thinkin' about getting warm. It's no trouble, really. You ready?"

"Ready?" She asked, cursing her pulse for speeding up even more.

"Yeah, for the number. You got a pen?"

"Oh! Yes." Oh my God, she was acting like an idiot! She hurriedly pulled out drawers, looking for an ink pen and sighed in relief when she finally had one. "Um, what was that again?"

He told her his number again.

"Okay, well, thanks again for calling and for talking me out of frost bite last night. Looks like I owe you a coffee now." Jesus, what in the hell was she doing? Was she asking him out? What was wrong with her?

"It wasn't any trouble," he said, almost sounding shy.

"Okay, well... I'll call you back here in just a little bit then and we'll figure something out."

"Bye, Carol," he said after a moments hesitation.

"Bye," she said in a breathy voice. Her hand was shaking slightly as she hit the end button and sat the phone back on the charger. When the phone rang again an odd thrill shot up her spine and she answered it quickly.

"I'm going with Philip to pick up the car and tow it to a mechanic he knows. I'm gonna be late so make yourself cozy since you don't have a car to drive."

"Do you know what time you'll be home?" She asked guardedly.

"How about non of your damn business? Why the hell do you want to know when I'll be home?" The suspicion in his voice had her flinching.

"I was just wanting to pick up a few things from the store and..."

"Don't give me that shit. You don't need a damn thing and I know it. Keep your ass in the house, Carol. When I get back we'll talk about this." He hung up.

She swallowed hard and sat the phone down. She looked at the plate she had made him and then dumped it into the trash. Why couldn't he be civil to her? He was constantly acting this way no matter what she did. He was always making her feel like a prisoner in her own home. Always making her feel like she wasn't worth anything. She waited for the tears to come but they didn't. Instead she felt a spark of anger. And then that spark turned into a white hot flash that had her clenching her fists at her side. She hated him. Absolutely loathed him!

Without even looking back at the mess in the sink she stormed up to her room and threw open her closet doors. She scowled at the clothes. Everything she owned was frumpy and dated and there was nothing she could do about it. She reached back into the very back of the closet and her hand closed over a pair of jeans. She pulled them out and gave them a once over. There was nothing special about them at all. Just a pair of regular jeans but she hadn't even realized she still had them. Ed hated the way she looked in jeans and insisted on donating most of her pre-marriage clothes to the Good-Will store. She held them up and frowned. Ed made it a point to mention often how much weight she had gained since their marriage and she hadn't tried these on in five years or more. She doubted they would fit her but she had to try.

She was hesitant as she slipped them on, not wanting his hurtful assessment of her body to be confirmed in this one act of rebellion. She pulled them up and buttoned them easily. She laughed, the sound echoing through the house and she didn't even care. She looked in the full length mirror and her mouth popped open. When she wasn't wearing those dreadful shapeless clothes she was actually pretty... shapely. She turned to the side and her smile fell. Had her ass always been so big? Good grief!

She turned back and took in her appearance again. Suddenly she didn't feel like laughing anymore. Not at all. She actually felt a little like crying. She looked absolutely ridiculous. And what was she thinking anyway? Was she actually subconsciously thinking about impressing that man? Like she even could! She was a married woman! Sure, she was miserable and she was trapped but that didn't mean anything. She was still married.

And that wasn't really all of it either. Ed hadn't been bad at first. Somehow she just wasn't a good wife. She tried to be. God knew that she tried as hard as she could. But somehow she just couldn't ever get things quite right. And she wasn't very pretty anymore. Maybe she had been at one time and that was why he had chosen her, but now? She looked away from her reflection. So, there was no way that she was even secretly thinking about impressing the man. He was beautiful and kind and she was just a complete disaster. She swallowed down the lump in her throat, shaking her head at how ridiculous she was.

She changed out of the jeans and carefully hid them in the back of the closet. She was proud that she had even been able to get them on so she didn't want to throw them out. There was little hope for her hair so she just pulled it back in a bun. With a strangely heavy heart she picked up the phone and dialed the number that she had written on a scrap piece of paper. After dialing she ripped the paper up into a tiny shreds. She wouldn't need it after this anyway. She was just going to go get her purse, thank him again for his kindness and then come back home as fast as she could. At least Philip was with Ed instead of watching her today.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

He hung up the phone and then ran a nervous hand through his hair. She was coming here? Here! He glanced around and groaned. It was a complete dump! There were stains all over the carpet, that came with the house and it was in serious need of a coat of paint on the inside and out. The linoleum in the kitchen was cracked and the dingy curtains that hung on the windows had already been there when they had moved in. At least Merle wasn't home. He was a slob and Daryl refused to pick up after him. Right now it was at least clean.

He caught himself as he pressed start on the coffee pot. When in the hell had he given a shit about the opinion of somebody else? So what if she was coming here. It wasn't like she was staying very long. She hadn't sounded very thrilled about coming at all. She was married. She was out of his league and he was out of this shitty town as soon as he had himself a decent nest egg anyway. He was probably just on edge because he was overworked. That was it. He was stressed out, in a hurry to move away and he was working too hard and he was tired and...

A timid knock at the door pulled him from all the bullshitting he was doing to himself. Why the fuck were his palms so goddamn sweaty? Maybe he was coming down with a cold or something. When he pulled the door open he had every intention of at least saying hi to her. Instead his brain must of decided to go full retard because his voice was gone. His eyes locked onto hers. For a few long moments neither of them said anything and then it started getting awkward. She glanced over her shoulder nervously.

He cleared his throat. "Hey. You can come in if you want, I'll go grab your bag."

She nodded, giving him a grateful look before he moved so she could get inside. "Thanks," she said as she breezed by.

He shut the door behind her and motioned towards the coffee table where he had dropped the purse last night. He realized that this was the first time anyone had been to the house since Merle had gotten locked up. "I made a pot of coffee if you want some. It's still pretty damn cold out and you walked here."

She paused with her hand over the purse and then turned those blue eyes on him, blinking like she hadn't understood what he had said. Maybe she thought he was a moron for thinking that she would want to drink anything that came out of this house. He started chewing on his thumb nail, which was something he only did when he was nervous about something. She seemed to be warring with herself over what to do but finally a small smile graced her face and she nodded. She still looked indecisive but she had sort of agreed to a cup so he motioned her towards the kitchen.

He wasn't used to really talking to people. Not people like her. He had friends. Well, what passed as friends to him. Him and Glenn had known each other for a while. There was also a few other people that he talked to on a regular basis. There was Oscar and Martinez too. He liked Tara pretty well, but he usually shied away from talking to woman. The ones Merle associated with were pretty gross, for lack of a better word. He poured two cups, trying to use the time to think of something to talk to her about, now that she was here and all. When he turned from the counter she was standing by the table, wringing her hands.

"You know," he said as he handed her the cup, "If you got other things to do it's alright. You ain't gotta hang around or anything." She looked terrified.

She sat down in one of the mismatched chairs and shrugged her coat off. "No, I'd like to stay a few minutes. I can warm up a little before I walk back home. And it's nice." She smiled and wrapped her hands around the mug.

"I don't know about how nice it is," he said as he sat down across from her, his body thrumming with nervous energy. For the first time in his life he wished he was more like his brother. Merle was suave when he wanted to be. Not that Daryl felt the need to be suave but it would be nice to know what to say. To slip into an easy conversation.

She looked up then and the early afternoon sunlight lit up her face in such a way that he had a hard time looking away. Not until he noticed that there was just a hint of a fading bruise on her cheekbone. He looked away then, not surprised that she had a bruise at all. He had sensed it last night, just in what little time they had spent together. Clearing her throat she finally spoke. "Well, I think it is. I don't really get out much. I'm kind of a homebody."

He suspected that she wasn't really a homebody by choice. She was trapped. He saw it in the guarded way she moved and the furtive glances that she threw his way, like she wasn't sure what to expect from him. "Yeah, me too. Work and home. That's about it."

"Unless you're going out of your way to help out a stranger," she said quietly, running her finger over the rim of her cup.

"I wasn't plannin' on stopping, actually," he admitted.

She tilted her head to the side. "I'm glad you did." She looked away quickly, her face flushing.

There was a lot of things that he could have said to that. Instead he didn't say anything. Not for a while anyway. When he did speak he studied her closely. "So how much trouble did you get in when that husband of yours found out that you left the car?"

She tensed, pausing with the cup half way to her lips. She put it back down and met his eyes. He could tell by the subtle shift in her posture that she knew that he knew. He didn't know specifics but he knew enough. "Not much actually," she said softly. "He was upset and then he left."

He nodded in understanding, even though he felt more pissed off than he had in a long time. There was something about her that was drawing him in that he didn't understand at all. He knew it wasn't a good idea. He knew that her business was her business and if she was stuck in that situation then it was her own fault for not taking off and leaving the bastard in the dust, then again, things simply weren't that easy. He knew that. He told himself that but he wasn't in the mood to listen to that voice in his head that told him to step back. When he met her eyes again he knew that he was in huge trouble.

"Have you lived here long?" She asked, jerking him out of his troubling thoughts.

He shrugged. "A few years. Me and my brother were suppose to just stick around for a few months but shit happened. He got himself into some trouble so I'm just waitin' for him to get out of lock up."

"Then you'll move on?" She asked, watching him carefully like he was the most interesting person in the world.

He shifted in his seat, not used to the scrutiny. "Yeah. I've been puttin' money back. I'm tired of the movin' around so I'm gonna find a plot of land somewhere to buy. I'm tired of movin' all the time. Merle, my brother, ain't gonna like it but he ain't gotta stay. We're both grown."

"You're tired of moving and I'm tired of being stuck," she said suddenly. When she realized she'd said it out loud she looked away and smiled nervously.

"So stop being stuck," he said.

She laughed but there was such a bitter edge to the sound that there was no mistaking it. "Wouldn't it be amazing if it were as simple as that?"

Just like he thought. She was trapped. "You got any friends or family?"

She shook her head, her eyes wide. She didn't want to talk about this and he knew it. "I lost my parents about ten years ago. I was in college then. After graduating I came home and that's when I met Ed, my husband. I never really kept in touch with friends and my parents were the only family I had. It gets lonely," she shrugged, "Obviously, since I'm here talking to you about it and I don't even know you." She smiled and then went on. "You know, it's really strange what a person can get used to. It's like... I don't know. Someone looking in on another person's life could never understand what it's like to live it." She took a deep breath, her cheeks growing pink.

He understood more than she knew. "What'd you go to school for?"

She frowned and took a sip of coffee. "Veterinary Medicine."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "And you never tried to use that?"

She shook her head. "Like I said, I got married."

"You got kids?" He asked.

A sad look crossed her face and she shook her head again. "No."

There was more there than she was telling but he didn't push her. Suddenly she looked up.

"What about you?" She asked.

He scowled. "Hell no. No kids for me."

She gave him a curious look. "Married?"

His scowl grew more severe. It was okay for him to ask questions but it was another thing completely when the tables were turned. "No," he answered firmly.

"Girlfriend?" She arched a brow.

He shook his head and took a long drink of the quickly cooling coffee. "Like I said, I work all the time. I don't have time for anything like that."

She nodded, pushing up the sleeve of her over sized sweater to glance at her watch. He followed her eyes and looked away quickly when he saw more bruises, in the shape of large fingers, marring her thin wrist. "I guess I should go," she said, sounding genuinely sad.

He stood up and walked her to the door. Before she reached for the knob he heard himself speaking without thinking about what he was saying. "That's two."

She turned, looking at him questioningly. "Two?"

"You owe me twice," he explained, remembering what she had said on the phone earlier.

Realization dawned on her then and she smiled. A real one that actually made it to her eyes. It transformed her face and he had to blink a few times. She was a good looking woman anyway but when she smiled like that she damn near took his breath away. He cursed himself for the sentiment but he couldn't deny it. "Maybe I can repay you some day."

He felt the corner of his mouth lift as she stepped out onto the porch. Then he realized something. He held up a finger for her to wait a second and then grabbed her purse off the table. When he opened the door and handed it to her she blushed.

"Thank you for the coffee, again. Maybe I'll see you around," she said, the last of the smile fading as her eyes darted around the yard.

"Maybe you will," he muttered.

Without another word she turned and hurried down the steps. He went back to the kitchen and grabbed the mugs, rinsing them out in the sink as he gazed out the window. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long time before he got this woman out of his head. He'd never had that problem before. Other than the occasional one night stand he had never put much thought in the opposite sex. And it had been a long long time since he had even had one of those. No, this was a lot different than that. There was something about Carol that was very different from any other woman he had ever encountered.

She had no family. She had lost contact with what friends she had made throughout her life. She was stuck in a toxic marriage and he could tell that she didn't see any way out of it. And none of that was any of his business. Not at all. So why the hell did he feel like it was? Would he have stopped last night if he had known that his brain would get so damn muddled by this woman? He had kept himself awake the night before with thoughts of her. He knew that she was in a bad situation but, just like Merle would tell him, there wasn't a damn thing about the situation that was any of his business.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! I'm posting this early because I really liked this chapter and couldn't wait to share it. Okay, I've never been in a relationship like Carol. I don't know, on a personal level, the ins and outs of how a woman deals with abuse on an emotional level. Keep that in mind. I am winging this and it's one of the reasons I wasn't sure if I should post this story at first. I don't want to handle her wrong. Now, make sure that stays in the back of your brains while you read this. Many thanks to all of you and I'm so glad you seem to be enjoying this! =)**

 **Chapter Four**

During the brisk walk back to her house Carol felt a little lighter. The sun was shining a little brighter. The cold didn't weigh her down, it invigorated her. She felt a smile threatening at the corners of her mouth when she ran the afternoon over again and again in her mind. The smile that threatened gave way to an outright grin the more she thought about it.

He was interested in her! Not romantically, of course. That was preposterous. But he had seemed to want to know things about her. Her! Homely, frumpy, and boring Carol had somehow caught the attention of some mysterious, kind and insanely gorgeous man. He had seemed curious about her life. He had wanted to know about her past.

The smile slipped as she recalled the way he had looked at her though. Somehow he knew. She had seen it in his eyes. He knew that she allowed herself to be treated like less than an animal. He knew that she was a prisoner in her own home. She didn't know how, but he knew everything. But she didn't see any pity in his eyes. She thought maybe she saw concern and... maybe even understanding?

That hot flash of anger tore through her again, stunning her so much her steps faltered. It was so foreign to her. This sudden outrage was so out of character that it made her feel strange. Where was this coming from and, for God's sake, what the hell could she do about it? Embarrassment was a part of it but it was more than that. She felt cheated somehow. What would it have been like to be able to have a friend like Daryl? To have someone to share stories with that didn't mock her. To have a friend that could make her laugh and feel like a real person. Someone that made her feel like she mattered, that she _really_ mattered. To have a disagreement with him and it not result in her being left bloodied on the floor. What would that camaraderie with another human being feel like after so many years of isolation? Somehow just that quick cup of coffee and stunted conversation had caused a monumental change to start within her. The need for more than what she had was so strong she found herself turning around and going right back in the direction she had just been coming from.

He was kind to her. He made her smile. She felt like maybe he understood and she wasn't sure why that was, but she felt it all the same.

Her heart was heavy with fear but her exhilaration trumped it. She picked up her pace, not knowing what she would dare say to Daryl once she showed back up on his doorstep but she needed to talk to him. Just talk. That was all she wanted to do was communicate with another human being and that need to was so all consuming that she couldn't shake it. Not even if she had wanted to.

Ed would kill her for this. She had no doubts about that at all. And if he didn't kill her he would make her wish she were dead. She knew he would. And still she walked. When she finally made it to his house she turned right onto his walkway and headed back up to the porch. She didn't pause until the door opened up and he stepped out, turning to lock the door without seeing her.

When he turned around to head towards the truck he stumbled to a stop. "Carol?" His eyes scanned the area before settling on her again. "You alright?"

She nodded and met him halfway down the walk. "Yes. I'm better than alright actually. Were you leaving?" She asked, a little breathlessly.

He nodded. "My fridge is empty. I was gonna go pick up a few things. You sure you're alright?"

She nodded and waved off his concern, even though it touched her. "Would you like to go have lunch with me? In a different town? My treat, of course. Payback for all the caffeine you've given me."

He didn't answer her right away. He studied her for a few long moments and then finally, he nodded. "Alright."

"Really?" She asked, a little surprised. She had half expected him to send her home.

He gestured towards the truck with a nod of his head. "Where do we gotta go to keep you from getting your ass kicked?" He asked in a dark voice.

She met his eyes then, flinching slightly because now she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he knew her life. "Anywhere," she said.

His teeth dragged across his bottom lip before he turned towards the truck. She followed him, refusing to glance around to see if anyone was watching. She would pay for this whether someone was watching or not. He would know she hadn't been home. If the man had Nanny Cams set up throughout the house she wouldn't have been the least bit surprised. But it didn't matter. She would take whatever came if she could only have this one day of freedom. Just one day of normalcy and conversation with another person that seemed to enjoy her company, and even if he didn't enjoy it, he at least tolerated it. It would be worth it.

She didn't say anything as they hit the highway, heading towards anywhere. The rumbling of the truck was somehow soothing as she gazed out at the snow covered fields that glittered in the bright sun. She tore her eyes away from the scenery and glanced down at the radio. How long had it been since she had listened to music? Without thinking she reached for the knob but then pulled her hand back, unsure if he would get mad at her for messing with his truck. For some reason she started feeling anxious. Out of nowhere his hand shot out and turned the radio on.

Biting her lip, feeling slightly embarrassed she looked over at him. He was staring straight ahead, looking very much like he wasn't paying any attention to her. The song on the radio was an old one but she didn't know the name of it or who sang the song. She just remembered hearing it before. She liked it a lot. Some man singing about being born on the bayou. She didn't know why but it gave her a strange feeling of rebellion. She turned up the music just a little, keeping her eyes on him, like she was testing him. She saw his lips twitch like he was trying hard not to smile so she turned it up just a little bit louder. Finally he glanced over at her. Shaking his head he reached down and turned the radio up until the cab of the truck was filled with the music. It almost hurt her ears it was so loud. He flashed her a grin and turned his eyes back to the road.

She settled back in the seat and continued to watch the scenery as the music swirled around them. Song after song. Her face was aching by the time they pulled off the highway. She had never smiled so much in her life. Or at least in the past five years of her life anyway.

He turned off of a rugged back road and into the parking lot of a Diner that looked like it had seen better days. The silence in the truck seemed as loud as the music had been. He hopped out of the truck without a word, so she followed suit.

"Have you been here before?" She asked as she stepped inside.

"Yeah. They have the best damn burgers in Georgia and they're cheap. Best thing is, not many people know that so it's never too crowded."

She noticed that there weren't many booths being used. There was an old couple in the back by the window and when they glanced up the old man nodded.

"Hershel," Daryl said in greeting.

The dark haired girl behind the counter waved when she saw him. She was cute and had a ready smile. Her name tag read Tara.

"Let me guess," Tara said, looking from Carol to Daryl. "The usual only this time times two?"

Daryl nodded without a word and led her to a small table not too far from the older couple. She took off her coat and looked around the small space. Just like his house it wasn't much to look at on the outside but the inside was clean and the atmosphere was friendly.

"This is nice," she said with a smile.

He snorted. "You really don't get out much, do you?"

She shook her head. "I don't mean fancy or anything. Everyone just seems really friendly is all."

He nodded and then looked up as Tara brought their drinks. Carol didn't even know what they were going to be eating. Tara sat a glass of Coke down in front of them. There were two straws in it and Daryl looked up at the girl sharply. "Tara," he growled.

The girl rolled her eyes. "You don't have a romantic bone in your body, Dixon. I'm sure your woman here wouldn't mind sharing," she winked.

Carol felt her own face flush. "Oh, I'm not his woman. We're just..."

"She's a friend, Tara. Now bring the damn drink before I have you fired," he grumbled. His own face was as red as she knew hers was.

Tara grinned. "Yeah, like that'd ever happen," she said as she headed back behind the counter.

Daryl shook his head. "She's an ass." He scooted the glass towards her, plucking out one of the straws and shoving it into the new glass that the girl handed him. She sauntered off without a word and Daryl didn't say anything else.

Carol occupied herself with the drink. Her eyes scanning the people scattered about the place. They kept landing on the old couple though. The woman laughed at something the man said and then she watched as the man put his hand over hers. It made a sad feeling well up in her chest. It was a reminder of everything she was missing in her own marriage.

"Why Vet school?" Daryl asked suddenly, forcing her eyes back to him.

She was grateful for the distraction and she felt an easy smile take the place of the frown. "I like animals and I wanted to be able to help them somehow. I always said that was what I was going to be. I had this dog when I was about ten years old and it got hit by a car. I was a mess over it but we took it to the local vet and he fixed her right up." She shrugged. "After that I knew that I wanted to be able to do that."

He nodded towards the old couple. "Hershel over there is a vet too."

Carol followed his eyes, her smile growing wider.

"Why did you just give it all up?" He asked.

She was saved when Tara came back and sat a plate of fries in the middle of the table and another plate with a huge cheeseburger down in front of her. She looked up and saw that Daryl was glaring at Tara.

Tara grinned. "What? It won't kill you to share a plate of fries with a beautiful woman, Dixon. Now eat up and be nice before I ask her out myself."

Daryl shook his head and took several fries from the plate sitting between them. Carol was still staring down at her food. There was no way she could eat all of that. How many calories were in that much food? She didn't need to gain any weight because that was one of the things that Ed hated about her.

"You gonna eat?" Daryl asked.

She looked up at him. "It's a lot of food."

He nodded. "Yeah. That's why this place is great. Eat," he motioned towards her plate and with a heavy sigh she picked up her burger and took a bite. His was already a third of the way gone.

"Where do you work?" She asked suddenly. She realized with a start that he knew a lot about her already and she only knew his name.

"Lincoln Brother's Towing," he said.

"You drive a tow truck?" She asked, her hand brushing against his as she went for a french fry. "That sounds like fun. You get to be on the go and meet new people."

He shook his head. "I ain't too fond of meetin' new people."

She tilted her head and forced herself to take another bite of the burger. She chewed thoughtfully as she studied him. "You didn't seem to have any qualms about meeting me," she noted as she pushed her plate away. She had managed to eat half the burger anyway.

"That was different," he argued. He eyed her burger and then shrugged, pulling it towards him and then taking a bite.

"How so?" She asked, unable to hide her smile at his apparently large appetite.

"I don't know too many people that would be able to just leave a woman stranded on the side of the road in the cold. There's a difference in being antisocial and being a complete asshole."

"How old are you?" She asked.

He took a long drink before he answered. "Thirty."

"You look like a teenager," she smiled and it only grew as his face flushed crimson.

"Shut up," he said with a shake of his head. "What about you?"

"Twenty Seven."

He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I ate too much. You wanna split a shake? You didn't eat hardly anything. It's no wonder you're so damn skinny."

She felt her eyes widen. "You're ridiculous. I'm not skinny," she said, looking down at her hands. "And if you ate too much why on earth would you want a shake?"

"Because he's a pig," Tara said suddenly, causing Carol to jump. "But he's right. You're a first timer so the dessert is on the house."

She sighed and glanced up at him from under her lashes. "What flavor is the best?"

He shrugged.

"Vanilla?" She asked.

This got her an eye roll from both of them. "You're gonna choose vanilla?" Daryl asked.

Carol sighed. "Well, I don't know! Tara, what does he usually get?"

Tara tapped her notepad with the pencil, glancing between the two of them. "I'll be right back," she said quickly and then hurried away.

"Oh God," Daryl groaned. "We shoulda got the check. I don't know why that girl has to pester me so much."

Carol smiled. "I think she's really sweet."

"Yeah, and we've established that you don't get out much," he grumbled.

They were silent for a few minutes and then suddenly his eyes zeroed in on her hand. She frowned and looked down. It wasn't her hand he was staring at but the hand print on her wrist. Her sleeve had moved up on her arm and she went to pull it down but suddenly he stopped her. When his hand had flashed out, gripping hers lightly she had instantly flinched and she heard him curse under his breath. He tugged her hand a little closer and studied the marks on her before he finally let her go. Although his hands were work roughened, they were gentle and warm and she found herself mourning the loss of the touch.

"It's nothing, really," she said out of habit. "I was just-"

"Stop," he ordered. His eyes locked onto hers. "You ain't gotta talk about it."

She let go of a breath and nodded, folding her hands in her lap. Tara showed up then and Daryl cursed out loud this time.

"What?" Tara asked innocently.

"Really?" Daryl growled as Tara sat a Sundae down in front of them. Two spoons, of course.

"Shut it, Dixon. It's romantic," Tara beamed.

"We ain't romantic," he said, motioning between the two of them. "Go away," he dismissed her with a shake of his head and Tara left with a laugh. He picked up one of the red spoons and took a bite that should have given him brain freeze.

There was a new tension between them that made her very nervous. She wanted that light feeling that they had been sharing since the truck ride here. She just wasn't sure how to do it. Not until she saw the cherry on top of a mountain of whipped cream. A laugh bubbled up without her even realizing there was one there.

"What?" he asked with a suspicious look.

She shook her head. "It's nothing."

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand even though there was a container of napkins right next to them. "Do I got somethin' on my face?"

She shook her head. "Your face is fine. I was thinking about this thing I learned to do in college." Her face turned as red as the cherry. "It's silly. Really."

"Show me," he said.

She shook her head.

He sighed heavily and took another bite.

She finally rolled her eyes at his mock misery and plucked the cherry from the top of the sundae. "I'm telling you. It's silly."

He didn't say anything at all. He just watched her curiously. She pulled the cherry off the stem and chewed it slowly. "You learned how to eat cherries in college?" He asked dryly.

She put the stem into her mouth, causing him to frown. He was teasing her! He wasn't criticizing her or trying to make her feel bad about herself.

"And they didn't even teach you how to do that right. Maybe you should ask for a refu-" His voice trailed off when she produced the cherry stem, tied into a perfect knot.

The heat from her face was about to melt the ice cream so she took a bite and ignored his raised eyebrows. He plucked the stem from her fingers and studied it. When he looked at her again a slow smile spread across his face. "Well, I'll be damned. You know what?"

"What?" she asked, still embarrassed, still clinging to hope that he wouldn't mock her or make her feel like a fool.

"I had to squint to see her, but I knew that there was some kind of wild woman in there somewhere." He was still smiling and his words made her flush even more.

"Eat your ice cream, Daryl," she scoffed, but she felt a slow thrill start up her spine. Maybe he was right. Maybe there was more to her than even she thought. She hoped someday that she would figure out a way to find out exactly what that was.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi again. These just keep coming earlier and earlier. I had a few chapters left to write on this but last night while I had no internet I finally started the epilogue so that is a relief. And thanks for letting me know that I'm not messing her character up in this! It is another relief. Now I'll stop rambling so you can get to the chapter. Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Five**

She turned the music up again on the way back but this time she did so without glancing at him like he might get mad about it. He was starting to feel a little freaked out about the way the day had turned out. He knew that Tara was mostly just giving him a hard time but it really did seem like they went on a date. Especially when he insisted on paying for everything.

She looked drastically different now than she did when she had first shown up to pick up her purse. Now her eyes were brighter, she smiled a lot and she seemed to relax more often. And that was after just a couple of measly hours away from her husband. She hadn't wanted to leave the place once they were done eating so he knew it. He had introduced her to Hershel and Annette and when Carol finally chipped in on the conversation the three of them talked for a long time. He mostly just kept his mouth shut and watched her. When Hershel started talking about his clinic her eyes had lit up. She was wide eyed and animated when she spoke and Daryl knew that Hershel and Annette both were impressed with her.

They sure as hell weren't the only ones.

When he turned off the highway and headed towards his house he noticed that her mood was growing more and more somber. He wished, not for the first time today, that there was something he could do to help her. But there was nothing. In situations like this one you couldn't force someone to leave the abuser. You couldn't talk them into doing anything that they weren't ready to do. Besides, he barely knew her... Even though it didn't feel that way. He felt like he'd known her for a long time.

He pulled into his driveway but let the truck idle there for a moment while he turned the music down. "You sure you don't want me to drop you off closer to home?"

She shook her head. Her eyes had grown dimmer, more guarded. "No. You've done enough today."

He hesitated still. "You think he's gonna find out what you've been up to?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure he will. I can't even go to the grocery store without him or he'll swear I'm sleeping with the bag boy. But I'll be fine."

He took a deep calming breath before he spoke again. "You still got my number?"

She shook her head. "I tore it up. But I remember."

He nodded. "You know, you can call if you need to call. I can't tell you what to do but if you need somethin'..." He let the sentence hang there, not needing to elaborate. He wasn't sure what else to say to her. He blew out a heavy breath. "If things get bad, just remember that you got somebody in your corner, alright? Just-"

"Thanks, Daryl but that probably wouldn't be a good idea. Maybe I'll see you around. I hate to admit it but this is the best day I've had in... I don't even know how long. You're a really great guy."

He snorted and watched her slide out of the truck and walk towards the road. He felt like total shit. If the man found out she had been out with some other guy then she'd pay for it. Even if it was just a friendly thing. He walked to the door with a heavy heart and a lot more on his mind than he would like to admit. He was a goddamn idiot for letting himself get invested in something that would never happen. This was probably the last time he'd ever get to even see the woman, so there was no sense in getting all bent out of shape about it.

He stuck the key in the lock just as he heard the phone start ringing. The only person that ever called him was Merle. He cursed as the key stuck but he was finally able to push the door open on the fifth ring.

"Yeah," he grunted when he slammed his elbow into the corner of the door frame in his haste. Of course it was a collect call from his brother.

"Bout fuckin' time, asshole. Where ya been all week?" Merle's voice boomed into his ear.

Daryl sighed and leaned against the wall, crossing his feet at the ankles. "Been workin' double shifts. Bills gotta get paid."

Merle snorted. "Got good news, baby brother."

"Oh yeah?" Daryl asked, a feeling of dread forming in his stomach.

"Yep. From what I hear I might be showin' my pretty face around there in just a few months, maybe even sooner than that."

Daryl closed his eyes. "That soon, huh?"

Merle's voice darkened. "Don't sound to me like you're lookin' forward to it. What the hell is that all about?"

"It's nothin', Merle. Just been a long week is all."

"Well, you won't have to bust your balls for long, baby bro. I'll be there before you know it."

"Yeah. Sounds good, Merle," Daryl said quietly.

"Well, I'll be seein' you soon, brother. Take care of yourself," Merle said. It was the same thing he always said but it seemed like this time he actually meant it.

"See ya, Merle." Daryl hung up the phone and let his head fall back into the wall with a sigh. It wasn't that he didn't want to see his brother because he did. The thing was, he was different when Merle was around. He fell right back into the role of Merle's little brother. And Merle was used to his little brother doing whatever the hell Merle decided to do. But things were going to be different now. Daryl had a plan. A solid plan and he wasn't going to let Merle talk him out of it. And he'd try. Merle didn't like to stay put and Daryl was tired of playing tag along. He was past old enough to be handling his own damn business. Merle would just have to get the hell over it.

He told himself that now but he couldn't help but wonder if he would end up changing his mind after Merle was released. Merle could be pretty damn convincing when he wanted to be and Daryl was notorious for falling right into Merle's plans. sometimes he did it out of habit. Sometimes he did it out of sheer boredom, but more often than not, he just went along with whatever so he could keep the peace.

~H~

When she didn't see the car in the drive she didn't feel very relieved. The car was in the shop so if Ed was home then there would be no warning. Philip usually kept his own car in the garage so the fact that his drive was also empty didn't make her feel much better. She took a deep breath and turned the knob. The door was locked, which was a good sign. Ed never locked the door after he got home. She had locked the flimsy push lock on her way out earlier. Then again, he could be toying with her. He did that sometimes.

She stepped inside, bracing herself for the confrontation but the house was all quiet. She went from room to room on both floors but there was no sign of Ed and no sign that he had been there in her absence. She approached the phone with a heavy sense of dread. If there were any missed calls then she was in for a very rough night. Ed never believed that she had simply missed a call because she was busy or didn't get to the phone fast enough.

She picked it up, holding the receiver tightly in her hand, willing her heart to slow to a normal pace. When she finally looked at it there was nothing there. No missed calls. Not from Ed's phone or anyone elses. She didn't give herself very much time to think about her victory. The kitchen smelled like the eggs from this morning and she needed to get the trash taken out and the kitchen clean. Then she needed to figure out what she was making for dinner, though he was rarely happy with what she made.

Instead of hurrying off she did something else on impulse. She was elated that she was able to have such a great day and not have to worry about any repercussions. So elated that she needed to share the good news with someone. She dialed the number that she had memorized and waited with her ear pressed against the phone and a smile plastered on her face.

When he answered the phone his voice was absolutely gruff. "Yeah," he growled into the phone.

"Is this a bad time?" She said quickly. "I'm sorry if it is, I was just-"

"Carol?" His voice went from gruff to concerned in an instant. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Yes! He wasn't home and he hadn't even called!" She said happily. "I've had the perfect day and I don't even have to worry about that ass of a man ruining it." She almost couldn't believe she had just said that.

His response was a quick chuckle. "That's good. That's real good."

"It is. I was worried but..." Her voice hung there between them.

"Yeah, me to," he said when she didn't finish the sentence.

Now she felt ridiculous for calling him. No one in their right mind would be as happy as she was that her husband hadn't been home when she walked in her house. Why had she felt that she needed to call him? She felt like such an idiot.

"Look, I know you said it wouldn't be a good idea, but do you really think you won't be able to get out again?" He asked suddenly, catching her off guard.

She leaned against the counter, biting on her bottom lip. Did he want to see her again? Surely not. Today was some cosmic fluke. Just a day to make her long for her freedom. Glancing around her kitchen she scowled. "I don't know," she answered sadly. She had gotten so used to her life. How had a few hours changed the way she felt about things?

"I figured that. Have you thought about taking Hershel up on his offer? Sure, you wouldn't be the honcho or anything but being a vet assistant is better than what you are now."

She shook her head. She had thought about Hershel's offer but there was no way. "It would never work. Ed doesn't want me to get a job."

"Well, at least you have some fall back options in case you decide to leave. We can keep in touch and if..."

She jumped when she heard the front door slam shut. "Gotta go," she whispered into the receiver.

"Bye Carol," he sighed.

She slammed the phone down and hurried over to the trash can, hurriedly yanking the bag out and tying it quickly.

"What the hell have you been doing all day?" Ed asked as he made it to the kitchen.

She froze, her whole body tensing. "Nothing, Ed."

"Yeah, I can tell. Look at this damn mess. You've spent the day laying around on your fat lazy ass?"

She almost sank in relief. He didn't know she hadn't been home. "I didn't feel well so I took a nap."

"You look like you need a nap," he sneered, grabbing her arm and hauling her towards the sink. "Look at this!"

Carol did just that. There was a plate and a pan. A fork and a spatula. Other than that the kitchen was spotless. She swallowed hard. His fingers were biting into her arm painfully. "I'm sorry, Ed. I should have done these first."

He let go of her arm and shoved away from her, giving her a look that let her know that the site of her sickened him, her eyes dropped to the floor. She heard him storm out of the kitchen but she didn't move. She stood there, running the dish water. For some reason, as she scrubbed the plate clean, she conjured up the feeling that she had in the truck when Daryl had turned the radio up without complaint. His shy smile. The concern in his eyes. The stunned look on his face when she had handed him that stupid cherry stem. She thought of all of this and she smiled. The ache that Ed's vice like grip had left in the muscle of her arm all but forgotten.


	6. Chapter 6

**I know that last chapter was tough but it was a necessary evil. I'll post again on Monday! Thanks for reading and stay safe this weekend!**

 **Chapter Six**

As a rule, Daryl slept in on Sundays. This Sunday wasn't working out like most. Last night he had felt completely useless. He had picked up the phone several times, ready to call and see if Carol was alright. Call to see if maybe her husband had come home and smelled cheeseburger on her breath and beat the shit out of her. The fear in her voice earlier when she had told him she had to go made him think that her husband had come home in a foul mood.

He was doing some serious thinking. He had spent all these months in a haze, focusing on nothing but his job and the money he needed to put back to try to start his life. But what was he going to do if he did get away from his brother and the life he had always led? He would have his own place, sure, but then what? He hadn't thought of that. He hadn't thought about what he should do after that hurdle was past him. Did he try to settle down with some woman and start a family? Would he ever be that guy? Did he even want to be? Why the hell had he been so goddamn focused on getting away from this place and starting his life? Especially when he had no idea where the hell his life was going after he had a real home.

It was these thoughts and thoughts of her that kept him from sleep. He laid there most of the night, staring at the ceiling, thinking about where the hell his life was heading. And when he did wonder about settling down, settling all the way down, the only person those fantasies dredged up in his mind was Carol Peletier. And that only bothered him more for many reasons. First off, she was a married woman. Second, he didn't fucking know her. Did he? How the hell could someone consume his every thought when he had spent less than three hours of his life with her? He wasn't some sort of heads in the clouds type of guy. Things like this didn't happen to people. To care about someone you had to know them for a while. You had to spend time with them and build a relationship, right? And that wasn't only how things had to be with a potential lover either. You didn't say hello to a guy crossing the street and instantly consider him a friend just because he said hello right back. That wasn't the way any of this worked.

So why couldn't he get her out of his head? Why did he have to keep replaying the day over and over in his mind? Why did he lay there and think of things to do or say that would make her eyes light up like they had today? Because the chances of him ever seeing her again were damn slim. Fuck!

Finally he had crawled out of bed and quickly threw on some clothes. He grabbed his crossbow and left the warmth of the house, trudging to his truck. He would do a little hunting. It had been a while since he'd gone out to the woods and he missed it. It was where he had always gone to get himself grounded. He stopped at the gas station where Glenn worked so he could fill the truck up and grab something to snack on.

He wasn't surprised to see that Glenn was behind the counter. The guy worked just as much as Daryl did. "It's early for you on a Sunday isn't it?" Glenn asked.

Daryl nodded and grabbed a few bags of Jerkey.

"I figured you would be sleeping in this morning. I heard that you went on a date yesterday," Glenn said around a yawn as he scanned the items that Daryl had sat in front of him.

This was one of the things he hated about living in a town so damn small. He had forgotten that Tara and Glenn were pretty good friends. "You serious? You people ain't got anything better to do than gossip about me? It wasn't a date."

"You shared a sundae," Glenn deadpanned.

Daryl wasn't going to try to explain himself. Not today.

He heard the bell, indicating someone else was coming in. Normally he wouldn't have bothered even glancing back but when he saw Glenn, of all people, give the person a cold look, he did turn around.

"Good morning, Ed, Philip," Glenn said in a clipped tone.

Daryl felt his teeth slam together at hearing the name. Surely this was just some random guy that had nothing to do with Carol. His name was Ed for fuck's sake. There had to be a ton of those around. When he looked at the man, however, somehow he knew that this was him. This was the very guy. The one that terrorized a woman as goddamn kind as the one he had spent the afternoon with the day before. Someone that had no problems with grabbing her so hard that he bruised her skin.

Ed smiled wickedly and elbowed his friend. "It is _now_." His friend laughed and they turned down another isle. As soon as they were out of site Daryl turned back to Glenn, who was watching him curiously.

"Who the fuck is that?" Daryl asked.

Glenn scowled. "Ed Peletier. He's a real piece of crap. Word is, he beats on his wife. He treats people like dogs. That's his friend Philip and he isn't any better.

"I forgot somethin'. I'll be right back," Daryl said, barely able to keep his voice from shaking with anger. He took off down the isle next to the one the two men went down.

"... Can't believe she even got up from that last one," Philip was speaking and Daryl strained his ears to listen. "But she should have known not to talk to you like that. Especially in front of someone. I got worried after you took her upstairs. All that screaming probably carried. Glad you shut her up."

Ed made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. "Trust me, you can't teach a dumb bitch new tricks. She's gonna push me until she isn't able to pull herself up off that floor."

"You think she called the cops?" Philip asked.

"She knows better by now. Last time she tried that I broke her dialing finger when I got home. That's why I'm glad we're taking this trip. I need away from that hag. A few nights in the city, a couple of strippers and a lot of alcohol. All that will do me some good and give her time to forget all about it. I'll bring her something back and she'll be nothing but smiles. Trust me."

"You're the expert," Philip chuckled.

"That I am," Ed said, a dark note in his voice.

Daryl took in all of this information with barely concealed rage. What the hell had he done to her? And why? That was the million dollar question. What the fuck could she have done to deserve it? He couldn't just stand there. If he had to hear either of them say another word then he would end up shooting them both right in their ugly fucking faces.

He stormed down the isle, forgetting all about grabbing something else to buy. He couldn't cause a scene here. He couldn't get himself arrested. If he did that then he wouldn't be able to do a damn thing for her. When he turned the corner to head for the door he ran right into Ed.

"Watch where the hell you're goin', boy," Ed said in a sharp voice.

Daryl would have been able to just walk away if he hadn't had to look at the guy but now that he was right there in Daryl's space, he didn't have that control. He shoved Ed with everything in him, and there was a lot of anger there to put into that shove. Ed's back hit the floor hard. "Yeah, I got your boy right here you piece of shit. Get up!"

Glenn jumped completely over the counter, grabbing Daryl by the arm and yanking him backwards as best he could. "Whao! Easy there Dixon!" He cried as he hauled Daryl back a few feet. Daryl let him, knowing he needed to get out of here before he ended up knocking Ed's head off.

"What the hell's your problem?" Ed roared, taking the hand the Philip offered him.

Ed was glaring when Daryl looked at him again but he saw something in that glare that he knew would be there. Fear. This asshole was fine with putting his hands on a woman that wouldn't hit him back but when it came to actually fighting someone that could beat his brains out, he wanted nothing to do with it.

Daryl yanked his arm out of Glenn's grip and stormed out of the small space, needing air. He welcomed the cold bite of winter once he was finally outdoors. He was trying to calm himself down before he saw either man again. He kept his back to the store as he pumped the gas he had already paid for. His hunting trip was going to have to wait.

He heard them when they exited the store but no one approached him. This didn't surprise him at all. Men like them didn't do things like that.

He waited until they pulled out, sure enough, they were heading in the opposite direction than he was going to be headed. He tore out of the parking lot like hell was on his heels, speeding ticket be damned. He wasn't thinking about what he would do when he got there. And when he got there he didn't waste any time at all. He pulled right up into her driveway and killed the engine. He stormed up to the door and knocked loudly. There was no answer, however, and his anxiety level shot through the roof. Was she not able to even get to the door? Jesus, was she lying in there bleeding?

His first impulse was to kick the door in. He refrained, however, deciding that the smart thing to do would be to just see if it was locked. It opened easily and he stepped inside with no hesitation at all. He strained his ears but the house was quiet. Maybe he should have been worried that Ed would come back but he wasn't. He hoped the mother fucker came back.

"Carol!" He called but he was answered with more silence.

He went through the spotless rooms, growing more and more anxious. He took the stairs two at a time. There were two bedrooms. One looked to be a guest bedroom and the other was the master bedroom. He walked right into the bigger room and then a door opened up and Carol stepped out, steam billowing out around her.

She stopped, her eyes bugging out of her head as she wrapped the towel more securely around herself. Her hair hung in damp strands, sticking to her face and shoulders. He studied her, looking for injuries but in the back of his mind he was taking note of other facts, like how that towel clung to her like a second skin, wrapping around curves that her baggy clothes hid well. Very well, because he had no idea that this was what she was covering up. He swallowed, his eyes taking her in a slow sweep. He was about to look away until he noticed the marks on her arms. Her legs were even worse, dark and angry, marring her pale skin. Her bottom lip was cut and her jaw was starting to bruise but other than that, she was alive.

"Daryl?" She choked, clinging to the towel like her life depended on it.

"I... I thought you needed me. Needed help. I..." His head was a mess, emotions fighting to come to the surface. Anger and hunger, warring and toxic and causing his heart to pound too hard and causing him to feel sick to his stomach.

"You can't be here," she squeaked, like she just realized he was standing there in her room. "If he comes back... You have to leave. I'm fine, really! But I won't be if you're here. Oh my God, go!" She walked up to him, her fear overriding her modesty. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him out of her room.

He pulled away from her, careful to not move too fast. Now that she was closer he could make out more damage. Her wrists were bruised much worse than they had been yesterday. Her eyes were red rimmed and puffy. There were marks on her neck, across her collar bone. His fingers somehow made their way to her face, ghosting over the bruises there.

"Daryl, please," she whispered brokenly, new tears filling her eyes before she dropped her gaze.

He wasn't leaving. How could he? She was hurting, and it wasn't just from the bruises. She felt powerless to stop the hell that her life had become, she felt like she was completely alone, even with him standing there. She needed help and he couldn't walk away from that. Instead he surprised himself and took her hand, the one that wasn't holding on to the towel with all her strength, and pulled her towards him. Why in the hell did he care so goddamn much for this woman? He didn't want to care. Caring was fucking hard. But he did care and there wasn't a fucking thing he could do about it. Nothing at all.

She was so tense that her body was shaking against his. Slowly, though, her arms inched around him, moving so hesitantly that it almost seemed like it hurt her to do it at all. Her face went to the crook of his neck and then a sharp tremor shook her before she tightened her hold on him and he felt her breath leave her in a rush, followed by a hiccup as she tried to inhale. And then the dam broke.

Her arms tightened around him so hard that if she had been stronger, it would have crushed his spine, the tension left her body and then she muffled a sob into his shirt. He wasn't sure how hurt she was so he didn't want to make it worse by holding her any closer. He didn't even know what the hell he was doing. So he just stood still, his arms around her lightly, hands resting on her back, and let her do what she needed to do. All the while he was swallowing down his rage. Her tears burned his skin and it seemed like they were never ending.

When she eventually stilled, what felt like a lifetime later, he eased her back enough so he could look at her again. She nearly lost the towel and struggled to hold onto it. His own face flamed.

"Pack a bag," I said out of the blue.

Her tortured eyes looked up, tear tracks causing his chest to tighten. She shook her head. "I'm fine, really. I just need to try harder is all. This was nothing."

"Pack a bag," he repeated.

"He just lost his temper. I can't just leave my home because of a fight. I can't just..."

"You leave with me or I stay. You make the choice." He was deadly serious. He wouldn't leave her here just like he hadn't been able to leave her on the side of the road. "This ends now."

She shook her head and a flash of anger tore through him.

"Are you ready to die?" He nearly shouted, stunning her into stillness. "Because that's what happens to women like you. They fucking die. He don't lose his temper and you know it. He hurts you because he fucking likes it. He's a sadistic piece of shit and he _will_ kill you. Do you understand that? You're gonna say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, hell, blink the wrong way and he's gonna snap. He's gonna do it because he fucking can. He ain't your husband. He's never been your husband! He's your prison warden and you don't even see it. He's locked you up and you're either too scared or too stupid to do something about it but I ain't. You leave with me right now or I'll stay and he can be the one leavin' this place, and by the time I'm finished with him he'll be leavin' here in a goddamn body bag. That's your choice."

She looked at him like he was the one that had spent all these years hurting her and at this point he didn't even care. "You can't expect me to just walk out on my life."

He shook his head. "I wouldn't if you had one. You don't. Pack a goddamn bag, Carol, please. I swear to God he won't touch you again."

"I don't even have a place to go. I don't have any money and I don't have a job or a car or..."

"You got somebody that gives a fuck and that's more than you had yesterday. Hershel and Annette have two daughters that's moved away. They'd rent you one of their rooms. You could work for Hershel and you can save your money till you're on your feet. You could stay with me. You got options now, you're just to scared to take advantage of them. You're more scared of the unknown than you are of this." He gestured towards the marks on her body.

She looked down at herself like she just realized that she was still standing there in a towel. "If I did that he'd kill me."

"If you stay, he'll kill you. I won't let him touch you, I swear to God," he said in a low voice.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" She asked, searching his face.

He met her eyes then. "I have no fucking idea."


	7. Chapter 7

**It is storming here and I was afraid I'd lose my connection before I could update so I went over this chapter fast. If it's full of more typos than usual, that's the reason. Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! I heard it was a pretty nice one ;) Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Seven**

This was a mistake. A huge mistake. Daryl didn't understand and nothing she said was going to make him understand. She believed that he wouldn't leave unless she left with him and she believed, believed it with everything in her, that he would kill Ed before Ed was able to lay a finger on her. And that was the only reason she was going through with any of this. She wouldn't have him getting in trouble for her. She wouldn't have his hands bloodied because of her.

How had he even known what had happened this morning? Surely he didn't know everything. He couldn't know that. He would never know how weak she really was against Ed. But she was going to do what he said because she wouldn't put him in harms way. She would pack a bag and she would try her hardest to fix this situation. She had gotten away with leaving the house yesterday. All she had to do was pacify Daryl for the time being until he calmed down and then she would just...

What was she thinking! If he got her out of here then she didn't need to ever come back! She threw more clothes into the bag. Even the hidden jeans. Could she really do this? Could she really make it on her own? Could she just move in with complete strangers? Hershel and his wife were very nice people but she had spent all of thirty minutes speaking to them.

He had left her alone in the room and she hadn't even gotten dressed yet. She couldn't believe he had seen her like this. Her face felt like it was on fire just thinking about the amount of skin he had seen, the damage to her body that had been on display. She grabbed the jeans out of the bag and slipped them on and then she hurriedly put a bra on. She was worried he would barge back in so she grabbed the first shirt she saw, pulling it over her head and shoving her arms into the sleeves. She didn't know where Ed was or when he would be back so she wasted no time rushing to the bathroom and filling another small bag with everything in there that belonged to her.

Her hands were shaking badly. She was terrified of leaving and it simply didn't make any sense, which infuriated her to no end. What was wrong with her?

She shouldered the bags and stepped out the door. She didn't even glance back at the room. It was nothing but a reminder of her humiliation and her torment. There would be no nostalgic reminiscing. If she knew she would get away with it she would set the bed on fire on her way out. The things she had endured in this room, as recent as this morning, were plenty enough reason to burn the bed, the whole house...

"Is that it?" He asked.

She took a deep breath and nodded. When he turned to walk towards the stairs she stopped him with a hand on his arm. He looked at her, his eyes strangely sympathetic. "Are you sure I'm doing the right thing?" She knew on some level that she was. She knew he was right and if she stayed Ed just might kill her. And even if he didn't kill her physically, he would eventually kill that essence inside of her that kept her going, that was able to still see beauty in small things, that was able to find a reason to smile, at least every once in a while. But she felt very alone. She felt as though she were standing at the edge of some great abyss. Some strange unknown that might finish off what Ed had started years ago. Her life was it's own hell, but it was hers. She knew it. It was familiar and she knew what to expect from it. Leaving? That brought on a new kind of fear.

The corner of his mouth turned up but it was a sad smile. "You're doin' the only thing you can do."

She was about to say something else when her eyes drifted to her hand on his arm and then she focused on the rings on her finger. Her wedding band and her engagement ring. She hesitated for only a second before she removed them and then dropped them onto the floor. He stared at the rings for a few long moments before meeting her eyes.

"You're gonna be fine," he offered. "It's gonna be hard, trust me, I know. But I swear every day is gonna be a little bit brighter and your gonna be a little bit tougher and then one day you're gonna wake up and your gonna be somebody different. You ain't alone."

She gave him a look and shook her head. "I really hope you're right."

"I'm right," he insisted.

She felt tears sting her eyes again, but they didn't burn like the agonizing tears from earlier had. These felt fresh, like she was already purging herself of the toxins that seemed to coat everything inside of her. He cared. She wasn't alone. And under all of that fear and uncertainty, that was a bright and unfamiliar thing to her. She would never be able to thank him enough for just being there.

She followed him out of the house. There were little odds and ends that she could have taken but she didn't want them. She didn't want any of it. As soon as she could she would replace everything she owned that had came into any kind of contact with Ed and she would be a new woman. A brand new woman with a brand new life. There wasn't anything to worry about because she was going to be okay. She had a friend. A very gruff and demanding friend, sure, but he was only looking out for her. She didn't know why he felt like he had to help her but she would repay him somehow.

"When do you think I can start working for Hershel?" She asked as they walked towards the truck.

"You wanna talk to him now? We can call him or we can just drive out. We can ask him about that room," he said as he opened the door for her.

When he got in and pulled away from the house she risked a quick glance at him. "Did you mean it when you said that I could stay with you?" She asked. Her voice was so soft that she was surprised that he heard it at all.

He glanced over at her, his eyes a little wider than usual. "If that's what you want then that's what you can do. I live in a fuckin' dump though, Carol. The Greene's live in a much better house than me."

"I can stay with them if you'd rather me to. It's just..."

He kept his eyes on the road this time. "Just what?"

She shook her head. "Never mind. I can stay with them if they'll rent me a room." The truth was, she wanted to stay with him. It wasn't that she wanted to jump into bed with him or anything because she never wanted to be physical with a man again for as long as she lived, but she felt different when she was with him. She felt better about herself. When he looked at her she didn't feel like he was waiting for her to mess up and she didn't feel like he was searching for flaws. And she felt safe. She didn't even know why she would feel that way because she didn't know him. He could very well turn out to be the same kind of person Ed turned out to be.

She shook that thought from her mind. No, that wasn't true. The warning signs had been there with Ed and she had just ignored them.

~H~

He never thought that she would actually _want_ to stay with him. He had just thrown that out there to make it sound like she had more options. His house was shitty and small and if Merle came home before she got herself together, like he was suppose to, then she would have to deal with him. There wasn't even anywhere for her to sleep! But she didn't seem very thrilled about staying out on the farm. He couldn't blame her. All this shit was happening fast and he knew that she was scared to death. Breaking away from something like this was hard and he knew that, at this point, she was probably using him like a life preserver, which was okay. It was okay because there had been a time in his life that he felt a little like her and he hadn't had that. He wanted to be a safe place in her mind. He wanted to be able to banish some of those fears.

"Whatever you end up doin', you'll be okay," he said as they pulled into his driveway.

She nodded but she didn't look convinced. He carried her bags inside and sat them down by the couch. He had forced her to leave her home and now he was about to pawn her off on someone else. That was a really shitty thing to do but he didn't even have any damn food in the house. He ate at the diner all the time. She had been right when she had said that she had nothing. She had some clothes in a bag. She had no money, no car, nothing tangible to hold onto. He hadn't understood why she had been so adamant about staying with her husband but this, the situation she was in now, was pretty damn scary too. He hated that she felt so completely alone.

He sat down heavily on the couch. "Look, we'll figure it all out, alright. I wouldn't have gotten you to leave if I was just gonna throw you to the wolves."

She sat down on the very edge of the chair, shoving her hair behind her ears. "I'm a grown woman, Daryl. I don't want you to think that you have to take care of me. I'm not someone that you have to handle. I'll be fine."

His eyes stayed locked on hers for a few long moments before he looked away. "I know that," he muttered.

"So, give me Hershel's number and I'll call him and talk to him about a job and a room," she smiled but he could tell it was forced.

He thought about it for a minute and then leaned forward, hoping he was doing the right thing here and not digging himself into an even deeper hole. "Okay, here's what we can do. You stay here with me and I'll get you back and forth to work. I have to go right by Hershel's clinic every day so it won't be any trouble. Not as long as he can give you the same hours I have. That should give you time to get your bearings and figure out a more solid plan. Sound good?"

Her eyes were huge. "That sounds better than good."

"I can take the couch. You take my room."

She frowned. "No! I am not taking your room. That's ridiculous. I'm fine on the couch."

"I'm the reason you're even here!" He exclaimed.

"No. I'm the reason I'm here," she said softly.

"Fine then. Sleep on the couch but when you wake up feelin' like you've been ran over, don't blame me."

She smiled slightly. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"I ain't got any food," he grumbled, leaning back with a sigh. "I don't do grocery shoppin'."

"I would say I could do it but if he sees me-"

"He's gone," Daryl said, cutting her off. "He happened to be at the same gas station as me this mornin'. Him and his buddy were headin' to Atlanta. He won't be home for a few days. You're in the clear till then."

"You don't have to do this." She stood up and walked to the window, crossing her arms over herself and looking out. "I don't see how I'm going to avoid him forever. This town isn't that big."

"Just make sure you don't put yourself in a position where you'll end up alone with him. If he sees you out it ain't like he can just drag you home against your will."

She looked at him from over her shoulder. "You got it all figured out, huh?"

He shook his head. "Not by a long shot."

"What about when you aren't here? I need to figure out a way to take care of myself. You aren't going to be here all the time and I don't expect you to give up your whole life so you can try to keep Ed away. It isn't your place and it isn't fair. You've done plenty."

He thought about it for a second and then got up, heading to his bedroom. He wasn't sure if this was the best idea he had ever had but he had to do something. If she didn't want to stay with the Greene's that meant she would be alone and he didn't trust that she'd be able to bring herself to try to fight the man.

He pulled out the drawer to his nightstand, his hand hovering over the small arsenal of hand guns he kept there. Most belonged to his brother but a few were his own. His eyes landed on a thirty eight special and he picked it up with a nod. It was small and easy to use and she wouldn't have to be very accurate if she was shooting at someone that was close enough to cause her any harm. If nothing else he would feel better leaving her alone.

He grabbed a nine for good measure, shoving it into the waistband of his jeans. When he came back out she was back at the window, arms wrapped around herself. For the first time he noticed that she wasn't wearing the same shapeless clothes he had previously seen her in. Finding her in her room in a towel kind of distracted him a little. Okay, maybe more than a little. But now he took a moment to take her in.

Her legs were shapely, long and lean. The curve of her hips was all female and then, on their own accord, his eyes zeroed in on her ass and he swallowed hard. This was a very very bad idea. The last thing he needed to do was get himself in any deeper than he was already.

"Daryl?"

His eyes shot up and his ears burned. She was looking right at him from over her shoulder and he had been caught staring at her ass. "Huh?" He choked.

She frowned and turned around. "Are you okay? You look really flushed." Her voice was all concern as she took a few steps closer.

"Yeah. I'm good," he muttered, taking a step back. Jesus, he needed to get his head outta his ass. Or at least keep his eyes off of hers. "Grab your coat. We got a lot to cover today."

She didn't ask any questions. Not until they were in the truck. "What exactly do we have to do today?"

He shrugged. "We gotta talk to Hershel and then I gotta teach your ass how to shoot a gun and then we're gonna get some damn food in the house."

"A gun?" She asked wonderingly. "I've never even held a gun."

"Well now you own one and you're gonna learn how to use the damn thing." He took his eyes off the road just long enough to see her reaction to this news and was surprised to see that she was staring at him, and her eyes were wide with excitement.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! My internet is still going in and out so I rushed over this chapter just like the last! Hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading! =)**

 **Chapter Eight**

Carol wasn't a sexual woman. She didn't want to be. She associated sex with humiliation and pain, so it was confusing to her, very confusing, when she felt her face flush with heat when Daryl's hands gripped her waist easily. He was so close she could feel his warmth seeping into her back. For a moment she wanted to move away from him. She didn't want to feel this way. But as he used his hands to steady her, when she closed her eyes and swallowed down the instinct to try to pull away, she felt her heart slow to a normal pace. He was very still behind her and she knew that he knew what was happening. Swallowing down the panic she relaxed even more. His hands were firm but still gentle on her body and she found that she liked the feeling, as disconcerting as it was. She had no idea how she could, but she had never felt it before now and it was very hard to ignore.

"Your stance is still off," he said in a patient voice after a few long moments, his warm breath ghosting over the back of her neck. "Spread your legs a little more."

Her eyes widened as that heat in her face became even more intense when he said that last sentence. His hands moved from her waist to her hips and then he actually nudged the inside of her shoe until she widened her stance.

"There you go," his voice rumbled through his chest that was now pressed against her back as he raised her arms. "Remember what I showed you?"

She nodded, not trusting her voice at this point. Her heart was pounding hard again but she wasn't afraid. She raised the gun the rest of the way, peered down the sites and pulled the trigger. She had no idea where the bullet went but it wasn't anywhere near the row of bottles he had lined up on the fence post. She heard him sigh.

"You're too eager. You gotta be patient at first. You're new at this so it's gonna take a little time," he admonished gently.

Every damn thing he said sounded dirty to her ears. He was still so close that she was having a difficult time concentrating. She knew he wasn't some sort of depraved pervert, but he had to realize the things he was saying!

"Once you get it up, don't just pull. Take your time, get a feel for it and then when you're sure you're ready, remember to breath and squeeze."

Did he really have to stand right there! And why did he have to smell like that? Like earth and leather and man? It was distracting and it was making her palms sweat and it was making her feel...

"Squeeze," he whispered right next to her ear, his hands gripping her hips to keep her steady.

She did just that and then a fraction of a second later the bottle she had been aiming at exploded. Instantly he stepped away from her and she spun around, her eyes wide. "I did it!" She said with an excited laugh.

He nodded and grinned. "Told you."

"That felt amazing!" She was so elated she could have jumped up and down.

"Like I said. Now do it again," he said, motioning to the bottles.

Her excitement dimmed a little. "What if it was a fluke and I don't hit anything else?"

"Then we keep practicing," was his easy answer.

Since he wasn't so close she was able to think more clearly. She knew what it was. He was the first person in many years that had shown any concern for her. The only person ever, really, that made her feel like she was better than she was and was worthy of a good life. So her body was confusing her gratitude for something else. Not that he wasn't someone to lust over. He very much was. The way he carried himself, his looks, his smell. But that wasn't her. She would never go chasing after men. Other than him, if she never had to deal with another man again for the rest of her life then she would die a happy woman.

"Are you gonna shoot or not? Hershel should be back soon."

She gave him one last smile and turned, remembering everything he had taught her since they had came out here to practice. She followed his instructions word for word but when she squeezed the trigger she missed. The shot went a little high. She didn't let it bother her like the other times she missed. She simply lowered the gun just slightly and tried again. This time another bottle exploded. She smiled to herself but still kept her focus. She hit another bottle.

"Good job," Daryl said softly.

She hit another. Missed the last one and then hit on her second try. She turned and was surprised to see the pride in his eyes. It warmed her in a much different way. "I think I got it."

"Good, cause I think Hershel's home." He turned and started back towards the huge white farm house. She fell in step beside him, walking close.

When they had arrived Annette had been thrilled to see them. The woman was kind enough to pretend like she didn't notice the damage to her face. They had talked with her for a while before Daryl told the woman he was teaching Carol how to handle a gun. Annette had told them to run along, like they were a couple of children about to go outside and play. She promised that Hershel would be back by noon and they could have lunch with them. Carol was excited for this. She loved having people to talk to. People that didn't put her down or cause her to feel like she was stupid. They all listened when she had something to say.

"This place is amazing," Carol said when the house came into view.

"Yeah. I'm lookin' at a piece of property not far from here. Hershel gave me a good price but Merle had my credit all fucked up even before I turned eighteen. I'm tryin' to save up enough to put down on it though. That's why I work a lot."

"Have you asked Hershel if he would sell it to you on a land contract? You wouldn't need nearly as much down and he can have the paperwork drawn up for it pretty easily," she offered, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. Another thing she wasn't used to was having a regular conversation with someone. If she had suggested something like this to Ed he never would have let her get past the first few words. Her opinion wasn't needed or wanted.

"I thought about it but I don't know. I kind of wanted to have more put back to offer him. Trust me, that's the only reason I work so damn much. He offered to rent it to me until I was able to figure somethin' out but if I did that I'd never be able to save enough. It'd take everything I had to keep the bills paid. It's a bigger place so it'd cost more all the way around."

She bit her lip, not sure if she should ask her next question. "How much bigger?"

"Three bedrooms. Two bathrooms. It ain't like Hershel's place or anything but it's pretty good sized."

"You want it pretty badly, huh?" Carol asked sadly. She didn't think it was very fair that Ed was able to have things he wanted and he was a monster and a man as good as Daryl couldn't.

He chuckled. "I ain't had much in my lifetime. Trust me, if this falls through and I don't end up with it then it won't crush me too bad."

"What if..." She let her voice trail off, unsure if she should share the idea that had popped into her head.

"What if what?" He asked.

"When we talked with Hershel yesterday he gave me a rough estimate of what I would end up making. The money isn't bad. What if you rented the place, just to get your foot in the door, and I could be your room mate? I could split all of the bills and the rent and you would be able to be where you wanted to be and still be able to put back money so you could eventually buy the place." She said all of this in a rush, feeling her face flame at suggesting something like this.

He stopped walking and she stopped with him. When she looked at him he seemed to actually be contemplating her offer. There was an excited gleam in his eyes but then the look fell away and he shook his head. "That wouldn't be a bad idea but Merle is getting out soon. It'd probably be best of you just found your own place once you get straightened out."

She smiled, hiding how sad she was to hear that her idea wouldn't work. The truth was, she was afraid to be on her own. Sure, he had given her a means to protect herself but what good was the gun when she knew she would never be able to shoot someone? Not even Ed. But she didn't mention that. "Is your brother really that bad? Wouldn't there be enough room for all three of us?"

He snorted. "He's... somethin' else."

She started walking towards the house again, feeling deflated. "I understand." And she did. Daryl had his own life. It wasn't his place to take care of her and truthfully, she didn't want to be taken care of. She wanted to take care of herself. She wanted to be able to take charge of her life. But the truth was, she still wasn't sure how.

When they made it to the house Hershel came out and greeted them with a wide smile. "You kids have fun out there?" He asked.

Carol smiled. "We did."

"And Annette tells me that you're considering my offer?" He raised one bushy brow at her.

"More than considering the offer. I'm here to beg to be your assistant if I need to."

Hershel grinned and motioned them towards the door. "No need for that. I could really use the help. I'm too old to be handling everything on my own anymore and the girl that does my books just turned in her notice. I was about to start calling Daryl here and begging him for your phone number."

"I can handle both jobs for as long as you need me," Carol said as Hershel took her coat.

Lunch consisted of homemade vegetable soup and cold cut sandwiches. The soup warmed her almost as much as the conversation did. That was, until Annette started asking questions. Questions that Carol wasn't sure how to answer.

"So, how long have the two of you known one another? I've been hoping Daryl would snag himself a good woman while Merle was away. Daryl here is the sweet one." She winked.

Carol glanced at Daryl, who seemed as uncomfortable as she was. "Not long at all. But I agree. He's sweet."

Daryl snorted, shifting uncomfortably in his seat while Hershel tried to hide a smile.

Annette went on. "Well, are the two of you dating?"

Carol shook her head. "No. We're... He's my friend." That sounded so strange.

Annette smiled indulgently. "Oh honey, you have no idea."

Carol shot Daryl a helpless look but he looked just as mortified. "No idea about what?" Carol finally asked.

Annette just shook her head. "In due time, dear. In due time."

"Annette," Hershel muttered. "Leave the girl be." But even he had a sparkle in his eyes like he knew some great big secret. They shared a smile and then Daryl was suddenly very eager to get to the store. As soon as he mentioned it, however, Annette got up and eagerly dragged him to the pantry.

By the time she was finished with him he had enough canned fruits and vegetables from last falls harvest to last the two of them a year.

"Since the girls went off to college we have more than we know what to do with," she explained as the older couple walked them out to the truck.

"Thank you, Annette," Carol smiled and accepted the woman's friendly hug forcing herself not to wince when pain flared in her side from a vicious kick she had taken recently.

"Thank you two for stopping by. It's been ages since we've had company," she said, finally letting Carol go.

Hershel shook Daryl's hand. "So you'll have her here bright and early on Wednesday then?" He asked.

Daryl nodded. "Sure will."

~H~

Daryl refused to budge. He handed her his wallet and motioned for her to go in on her own. He hated shopping and he was putting his foot down.

"I don't even know what you like to eat," Carol cried is dismay.

"Food," he deadpanned.

She made a frustrated sound and he dragged his eyes over to meet hers. "Why can't you just go in with me?"

"Because I don't want to. If it was up to me we'd eat out every day. You're the one that wants to cook real food. That shouldn't mean I have to suffer for it."

"You can't just live off greasy burgers and fries," she argued, her voice soft, almost pleading. "I don't even know how much money you want me to spend."

He shrugged. "Just get what you wanna get so we can get the hell outta here."

She still looked unsure. "I don't feel right taking your money. I feel like- I don't know. I feel like a burden."

"Well, you ain't. I dragged you out, damn near kickin' and screamin'. I did my part and now you do yours. Go buy food."

With a heavy sigh she finally shoved his wallet in her purse and hopped out of the truck. "As soon as I get my first pay check I'm giving you half of it."

He shrugged. "Do what you want."

He felt his lips twitch when she shut the door and stormed off towards the doors to the grocery store. He thought about her offer once again and the urge to smile disappeared. For just a few seconds he had considered taking her up on that offer but then he imagined what it would be like to live with Merle _and_ Carol. He knew that she would get better in time. Hell, she seemed better now, but she was still skittish. She was still unsure of herself. Sometimes her nerves still got the better of her and she fluctuated between happiness at her escape and nervousness at the thought of a future that was unknown. She didn't voice any of this. He could just see it in her eyes.

He would figure out some way to make it work. He would get the place eventually. It wasn't like it was on the market. Hershel had offered to sell him a while ago but it wasn't really up for sale for anyone else. At least he had that going for him.

He leaned his back into the seat and closed his eyes. It had been a long fucked up day. He knew he hadn't made a mistake in getting her to leave her house. He truly did believe that if she didn't then her husband would end up killing her. He had known men like that his whole life. He had been raised by a man like that. No, she needed out and she wasn't going to do it unless he pushed her.

He sighed heavily. How had his mundane life become turned completely upside down just by helping one stranded woman? Then his mind wondered while he waited. What if she had never left her purse in his truck? What would have become of her if she hadn't walked to his house to pick it up? What if he hadn't taken the time to talk to her and just gave her her things and sent her on her way? He didn't have answers. Well, he did but he didn't want to think about them.

A little while later she came out with a cart full of bags. He was about to open the door so he could load the bags in the back when he paused. Two guys walking past her turned their heads as she walked by, checking her out. He didn't blame them. He'd been checking her out all damn day. The thing that amazed him was, she had no fucking idea. It was painfully obvious that she wasn't secure with her looks at all. And for some reason that made her all the more appealing to him. And that was another reason that actually living with her long term, as a room mate, was not the best idea.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Daryl wasn't used to having someone around all the time but the day had gone pretty well. She wasn't overly chatty like some women were and she didn't seem to feel the need to fill up the silence with chatter. After all of the food was put away, which she seemed amazed he was capable of helping her with, he plopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote.

She quietly rummaged through her bag until she pulled out a book and then she sat down on the other end of the couch, pulling her legs up. He expected to feel awkward. He expected to feel like he needed to entertain her. But she was content with her book and he was happy that he'd gotten home in time to catch the hunting show that he watched every Sunday that he had off. After the show went off there was a weather announcement.

Daryl groaned. Tonight would be another night that the weather dropped to sub zero temperatures but this time it was going to snow before the temps dropped. They were looking at quite a few inches, meaning idiots everywhere were going to be stranded on the roadside and tomorrow morning was going to be a busy and cold one.

"I wish you didn't have to work in that mess," she muttered as she dog eared her book.

He sighed. "Yeah, but it pays the bills and it's pretty easy most of the time."

She got up and stretched. "This feels so weird."

He watched her curiously. "What feels weird?"

She lifted one shoulder and looked towards the kitchen. "I feel like I should be doing something. I'm not used to just sitting around. You're extremely clean for a man."

"I'm not a lazy fucker that needs a woman to clean up after me," he said simply.

The corner of her mouth turned up. He returned the smile. "If you aren't lazy then why don't you ever cook for yourself?" The retort brought her up short and her smile fell as her eyes widened slightly. She was afraid that she had pissed him off with the innocent barb.

He stood up and she flinched slightly. "You don't think I can cook, huh?"

"I didn't mean that. I- I'm sorry."

He didn't give her a chance to finish apologizing. He walked past, grabbing her hand on his way by, careful not to touch the bruised part of her wrist. "One thing you need to learn is, I might be too lazy to cook for myself but that don't mean I can't cook." He dropped her hand when they entered the kitchen and he pulled out one of the chairs. She was watching him with wide eyes as he motioned her to the chair. "Sit," he ordered.

She sat down, watching him with more curiosity and less fear now. The fear was almost gone. Almost. "What are you doing?"

"You thirsty?" He asked over his shoulder. He heard her get back up. "I can get it Dar-"

"Sit," he repeated.

"I can get my own drink," she muttered as she sat back down almost looking embarrassed.

"So can I," he retorted as he grabbed two cans of Coke. He sat hers down in front of her and then sat down himself, resting his arms on the table and drumming his fingers lightly. "Look, I got a shitty temper," he said, watching her carefully. "Sometimes I get pissed off over the stupidest shit. I throw fits like a goddamn toddler sometimes. But I ain't never been pissed off enough to put my damn hands on a woman. Ever. I wouldn't do it no matter what you did. If you got pissed off right now and slammed that coke right in my face, broke my nose, made a mess of the whole house, I'd scream and yell, I'd pitch the biggest goddamn fit you ever seen but I'd never put my hands on you. You need to understand that."

"I didn't think-"

"You kinda did and you know it," he said, cutting her off again.

She bit her lip. "Okay. The thought may have crossed my mind. But I don't really believe that. Old habits die hard, Daryl. It hasn't even been a whole day yet."

He knew that but thought that it wouldn't hurt to let her know. She'd still slip back. He remembered a time where he had thought that every hand raised was there to inflict damage. That was when he realized something with a start. This was why he wanted so badly to help her, even if he put himself out doing so. They were worlds different, sure, but they were the same in many ways. He understood her better than most people ever would. He wanted to help her now because for all those years, there hadn't been anyone there to help him. "You're right," he said, this knew realization bringing him up short.

"So, can I just cook you something already?" She asked, blowing a stray curl out of her face. "I'm not a very good cook, though. I have to warn you now."

He shook his head and stood up. "No. You can help though, as long as you stay out of my damn way."

He turned back towards the fridge but her quiet laugh reached his ears, making him feel like he at least accomplished a small thing.

~H~

She was amazed. He had stayed true to his word and did most of the cooking. It was strange watching him. In five years she had never seen Ed do anything for himself. She was in charge of doing it all. Cooking, cleaning, laundry. All of it fell on her shoulders and even though she was thorough with every job she did, it had never been good enough. But Daryl seemed to be the type of man that was in his element no matter the situation.

She was leaning against the sink, her eyes taking him in as he finally filled a plate. He had gone the manly food rout and went with steak and potatoes. She had hesitantly prepared some of the greens from Annette's garden and he had nodded in approval. He handed her the plate and then grabbed his own. She was about to sit hers down at the table but he shook his head and motioned towards the living room with a nod. She followed him, not sure what to do. Ed had insisted on eating at the table every night. Every night they would sit silently until he found something wrong with the meal and then he would spend the remainder of the time complaining about her inability to do anything right.

He sat his plate down on the coffee table and went to the TV. After sitting back, plate in his lap he finally looked over at her. "What?" He asked.

She tried to hide a smile, shaking her head. "Nothing." She looked at the television and leaned back like he did, her eyes following his. "You're a strange man, Daryl."

He sucked on his finger and raised a brow at her. She flushed and turned her head, ready to find out if he really could cook or if he had just been trying to prove a point.

On her first bite she sighed. "This is amazing."

"Told you," he muttered, his mouth full.

He had put in a movie that she had never seen before. "What are we watching?" She asked once it started.

He turned his head slowly, looking at her with wide eyes. "Road House," he said, like she should already know all about it.

She looked back towards the screen where there was a bar brawl. She shrugged.

"You never seen Road House? Where the hell have you been? Jesus." He shook his head and focused back on the television. She smiled and did the same, since it was obvious she was pretty lame for having never seen the movie before. Every now and then she would catch him looking at her and shaking his head in mock disappointment. And every time she did it would cause her to have to stifle a laugh.

She went to grab his dirty plate when he sat it on the table and to her surprised his leg shot out, blocking her. She looked at him, frowning.

"Leave it," he said, his eyes never straying from the screen.

"I don't mind pick-"

"Leave it," he repeated.

She pushed his leg away and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. He was really something else. Did all men act like this? Was Ed really that different from the rest? So she made herself comfortable, pulling her legs up onto the couch and leaning into the cushioned arm. She was still scared. Scared of what Ed would do when he found out she had left and scared of what a future alone would be like. But she forced herself to relax there on the couch, while dirty dishes sat on the table right in front her, and she fell into an exhausted sleep. The morning had been brutal and the rest of the day had been taxing and she welcomed the release from the stress.

The first thing she noticed when she woke up was that she certainly wasn't in her bed. She opened her eyes but the room was dark and she sat up, the blanket covering her falling away. That was when she noticed it. Bitter cold. That must have been what woke her up. She rubbed her arms briskly as suddenly everything came back to her sleepy brain. She was on Daryl's couch and he must have been a frugal man because there was no way the heat could be turned on.

She reached for the lamp and blinked at the sudden brightness, rubbing her eyes. The dirty plates and soda cans were gone. He must have cleaned up himself. She threw the blanket the rest of the way off, shivering as her breath blew out in a wispy cloud.

She wrapped the blanket around herself and shuffled to the thermos stat. It was set to seventy five. The heater must have broken. She glanced at his closed bedroom door, thinking quickly. She didn't want to wake him up. She wasn't worried that he would be upset with her for it but he had to get up early and she hated bothering him. Then again, she knew that if something didn't happen then his pipes would surely freeze, if they hadn't already.

She went to the kitchen and turned on the light in there and turned off the lamp in the living room. The house was small. Very small. She just hoped that her plan worked. Going back to the kitchen she turned the oven on and then all four burners, opening the oven door and stepping back, holding her hands out towards the blue flames on the stove. She hurriedly tried the faucet and breathed out a sigh of relief when icy water poured out. She left it dripping and then opened up the cabinet doors under the sink. She went to the bathroom and quickly did the same.

It was going to take a while for the house to warm up to any extent but she was going to try to save the pipes, and maybe Daryl's health. She was surprised that he wasn't awake yet. The cold air that blew out at her from his room when she opened the door had her shivering all over again. But he was there, wrapped up in a thick blanket on the bed. He was completely cocooned. She opened his door as wide as it would go so the heat could get to him.

Once she got back to the kitchen she sighed, hands on her hips as she glanced around the room. The mess from dinner was already cleaned up so she put away the dishes in the drainer. She couldn't go back to sleep, even though she really wanted to. Using a gas stove to heat up the small house was a sure way to burn it down around them as they slept. It didn't matter though. After everything he had done for her these past few days, what was losing a little sleep to make sure he stayed warm and was able to get up for work without being miserably cold?

She put on a pot of coffee and retrieved her book from the living room. After a while the bitter chill went away and she was able to relax more as she read and waited until it was a decent time to start breakfast. She imagined that his breakfast usually consisted of coffee and whatever junk he picked up at the gas station. Maybe a decent breakfast would get him off to a good start on a freezing day.


	10. Chapter 10

**I had a lot of running to do today so this is a little late! Sorry about that. Thanks for reading. I'm seriously amazed so many of you like this story! It's appreciated!**

 **Chapter Ten**

Daryl reached one hand out from under the blanket and slapped the alarm clock. Sitting up he rubbed his hand through his hair and yawned loudly. The first thing he noticed was that his bedroom door was standing wide open. He frowned, squinting towards the living room. There was a light on in the kitchen and he knew that Carol must have woken up a while ago because the smell of bacon and coffee filled his nose.

He dressed quickly, taking note that the room was a lot colder than it should have been. Maybe she had turned the heat down for some reason. In the bathroom he found that the cabinet under the sink was left open and there was a steady drip coming from the faucet. When he turned on the lamp in the living room he checked the thermostat and cursed out loud. The heater must not have gone out long ago because the house would have been frigid.

"Hi."

He nearly jumped out of his skin. She was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. "Mornin'." He followed her into the kitchen and stopped in his tracks when he realized exactly why the house hadn't turned into an igloo.

"I woke up and it was freezing and I didn't want you to have to worry about it so I just used the stove. Is that okay?" She asked in a rush.

He nodded. "You been up all this time?"

"Since a little after one but that's okay." She held up the book. "I had something to occupy my time. And I made you something to eat. I got bored. I'm sorry if it isn't very good but I wanted you to at least get to eat something warm before going out there. And like I said, I got bored."

"I'd say you did," he muttered as he sat down heavily. "You didn't have to do all this though. You shoulda woke me up."

She sat a cup of coffee down in front of him and then a plate piled high with bacon and eggs with a couple of pieces of toast on the side. "I could have but that would have been stupid. You had to get up early and I was perfectly capable of helping." She sat down in the chair across from him with her own steaming cup. He noticed that she wasn't eating.

He was surprised she had done all this on her own. Any other woman would have woken him up and demanded he do something to get the house heated up. "I'll call Doug before I leave but I doubt it'll do any good. It ain't suppose to get out of the teens today so we'll have to figure something else out."

"I can keep it warm so the pipes don't freeze," she offered with a yawn. "It's the least I can do, really."

He frowned, chewing thoughtfully. He couldn't leave her here in a freezing house and she had barely gotten any sleep so he couldn't expect her to keep it warm. He was so sick of this place that he was damn near ready to burn it down himself. He paid his damn rent on time every month and he never caused any trouble so the least that bastard could do was make sure that everything worked. Especially the heat since it was the middle of January.

"It's okay, really. I don't mind," she said, watching him carefully. She looked nervous.

He shook his head. "No it ain't. You haven't slept but a few hours. You can't stay up all day and you can't be stuck here freezing. I ain't havin' it."

She bit her lip, gazing at the stove thoughtfully. When she finally looked at him again she looked almost ready to cry. "But there isn't anywhere else for me to go."

He sighed, running his hand through his hair again. "We can't do this," he muttered. He saw her visibly flinch from the corner of his eye. When he looked at her full on her eyes were wide and wet and so damn scared it made his chest hurt a little.

"I can't go back home. Not now. I know he's called a million times and he knows I haven't been there and if-"

"Hey," he said softly. She stopped talking but she still looked about to panic. "That ain't what I meant. I meant this damn place. It ain't fit for a hobo." He just realized he'd put his hand over hers on the table and he jerked it back quickly, his own face flaming.

"What else can we do?" She asked, her anxiety ebbing.

He chewed his food, thinking long and hard about what he was going to say next. When she had offered to move with him to the house Hershel was willing to part with he had dismissed it. He'd had a little more time to think about it, however, and after spending the day with her yesterday he was starting to reconsider. She was easy to get along with and she wasn't annoying. Hell, lots of people moved in with strangers. It wasn't like they would be sleeping together. The house had three bedrooms. It had a fireplace in case something like this ever happened. The only problem would be his brother and he would deal with that when the time came. Besides, it was nice to wake up to coffee and breakfast. She damn near had him sold on the eggs alone. "We can move," he said, after giving it a little more thought. "You were right. It makes sense. We'd both save some money and the place is plenty big enough so we wouldn't have to be in each others way."

She stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds before her face broke out in a grin. He stared at her, unable to look away for a few moments. "You're sure?" She asked.

He nodded. "It's the only way I'm gonna get out of this place. You need somewhere to go too. It just makes sense."

"But just yesterday you didn't think it was a very good idea," she reminded him softly.

He shook his head. "You'll understand when Merle shows up. Get used to the peace and quiet while it lasts. Wherever Merle goes, trouble follows. He ain't easy to live with. You might only have a few months to get ready for him to."

"Is he dangerous?" She asked, looking down at her cup. There was no fear there, only curiosity.

"Nah. Not to us anyway. He's gonna give you a hard time. He'll give me a hard time. You'll probably learn to just ignore him. It's what I do."

"Well, what should we do for today?" She asked after a few silent minutes.

He groaned. "I need to call my boss and use one of my sick days. We can head over as long as the roads ain't too bad. There anything you need to get? You only brought two bags."

"I don't have anything. If I could have left those I would have. I don't want anything from that house," she said with a bitter bite to her tone.

He nodded in understanding and finished his breakfast in thoughtful silence. When his plate was empty she instantly stood up, reaching for it, but he intercepted, his hand gently pushing hers away. He took his plate to the sink. "That was probably the best damn breakfast I've had since I was a little kid. You cook like my granny did when I was a boy," he said, glancing over his shoulder.

Her eyes shot up, meeting his and then her teeth worried her bottom lip. She almost looked like she was about to cry. Instead she smiled softly. "I'm glad."

He made the call to work. His boss wasn't exactly happy with him for missing but there wasn't much he could do about it. Daryl worked his ass off and this was the first time he was missing a day in over a year. He called Hershel after that and this call took longer. Carol paced, glancing at him as he laid it all out for the old man. He made sure that he kept his face devoid of emotion, keeping her waiting on purpose. He didn't want her to get her hopes up too much because there was a big chance that what little bit he had put back wouldn't be enough for Hershel to agree to anything.

~H~

She watched him closely but she couldn't tell what Hershel was saying by Daryl's expression alone. She was nervous for a lot of reasons. For one, his brother didn't sound like someone that would be very welcoming. He had mentioned that he would give her a hard time but she wasn't sure what that actually meant. She knew he wasn't dangerous because if he was then Daryl wouldn't have her living in the same house as the man. But it was the way he had worded it when she had asked about it. He had specifically said that Merle wasn't dangerous to _them_. But he didn't say he wasn't dangerous in general. What could he have meant by that?

Another thing was, she was eagerly agreeing to move in with a man that she barely knew. She trusted him... But there was a time she had trusted Ed too. What if he got her out there and changed? Was she running head long into another situation that would end up catastrophic? Surely not. He had helped her. He had gone out of his way to save her, twice. Once from the cold and once from herself. She would have never left that house on her own.

He hung up the phone and she cursed herself silently for not paying attention to the end of the conversation. He made a great show of not saying anything. Instead he took her dishes to the sink and took his time rinsing out the cups.

"What did he say?" She asked eagerly.

He turned, leaning against the counter and shrugged.

"Daryl!" She said, exasperated. She was filled with a nervous kind of energy that had her feeling jumpy.

His face betrayed nothing for a few more seconds and then he grinned. "We're in."

She returned the smile, forgetting her earlier feeling of trepidation. "Really?" She breathed. The smile was so big it hurt the cut on her lip but she didn't care.

He nodded and then she did something that shocked them both. In her excitement she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He stiffened and she was about to pull away and apologize but then she felt one arm go around her waist and he hugged her back.

She stepped back, blushing furiously. "I'm so sorry," she said, not sounding very sorry at all. It had felt good. She wasn't used to touching a man that she actually wanted to touch. The thought had her eyes widening because she didn't know where it had even come from. "Anyway, now what? Do you have a lot to pack? I can help you with that. I can even help move the furniture. I'm tougher than I look."

He shook his head. "There ain't much here that wasn't here when me and Merle moved in. My clothes. Odds and ends. Hell, I've got about as much worldly possessions as you do."

"And you sure you want me? I mean, want me to live there too?" Why had she worded it like that!

She could have sworn she saw his eyes sweep over her before he nodded. "Yeah. Don't know how I'd manage without you, actually. You know, cause it's gonna cost more and shit."

"And you're sure I won't bother you being around all the time?" She asked.

He smirked. "We'll have our own rooms. And the woods are right there so I can take off if you start pesterin' me."

"I won't. I swear," she grinned and then she felt like hugging him again but she didn't. "And I won't have to worry about running into Ed. It's far enough away that I can be free. He probably won't find me."

"That's another plus," he said as he headed towards the living room. "We should head out. Suppose to get more snow later on this mornin'. I'll get some things packed. Maybe we can just stay there for the night."

"What about electricity?" She asked, grabbing her bags and setting them by the front door. That was about all the preparation she needed.

"Fireplace. We'll at least stay warm. It just might get a little boring."

She laughed. "I don't think that can happen with you around."

He snorted and disappeared into his room to pack his own things.


	11. Chapter 11

**Here is one more before the weekend! I usually don't update on weekends for stories that are updated daily because usually people have stuff to do but I can make an exception for this one if you guys are heavy weekend readers. There's another story lined up that is almost finished that I can post as soon as this one is marked complete so I don't have to take my time updating it. It's basically up to you guys. Either way, hope your weekend is a great one and stay safe!**

 **Chapter Eleven**

He was pretty sure he was doing the right thing. Hell, some people put ads in newspapers for roommates. This wouldn't be so bad. It wasn't so off the wall. Okay, maybe for him it was. He wasn't good with people. He'd spent most of his life avoiding the hell out of people. But apparently not her. And it probably didn't have a damn thing to do with _her_ really. Surely not. It was just that this was going to make things easier on himself. When Merle came back he could get a job and help and then Carol could move out on her own or Merle could get pissed off and leave and Carol could stay. Hell, maybe Merle would actually stay true to his word and actually change this time around and then they could both stay.

"So, what kind of house is it? Did we drive by it when we were out here yesterday?" Carol asked. She was nearly bouncing in her seat with excitement.

He shook his head. "It ain't far from the farm but it's far off from the road. It's more in the woods than Hershel's place. It wasn't a part of the land that Hershel owned. He bought up more acreage about ten years ago and that house just happened to come with the property."

"How big is it?" She asked.

He shrugged. "It ain't huge. Like I said, it ain't like Hershel's place. You'll see."

"And it's hidden. I've left my husband with nothing but the clothes on my back and I'm about to move in with a man I barely know to a house in the middle of nowhere!"

He glanced at her after he turned off of the main road towards Hershel's. "I guess you are. Sounds like the beginning of a bad horror movie."

"Or a cheesey romance novel." Her eyes went wide at her words and she sat back, her face flushing. He couldn't even call her out on it because he could feel his own ears burning. "So... uh... what about furniture? You said that your house was furnished. What are we going to do about that?" She asked to change the subject.

He parked the truck behind a car that he knew well. It belonged to Patricia. "Hershel had a farm hand that used to live there with his wife. He died close to a year ago and a few months later his wife moved in with the Greene's. Everything is still in the house so it comes with the property. Hershel bought it out so she didn't have to worry about movin' it. Now I think he just wants someone livin' in it and for some reason, that someone is me."

Again, Annette and Hershel met them out on the porch despite the cold. They seemed thrilled about the news and Hershel readily accepted Daryl's meager down payment. It would be rough until he got his paycheck but they would make due.

They.

He caught himself again. All morning it had been "we" or "us" like they were some kind of unit. They were _not_ a unit. They were both in a bind and they were sharing a house because that was the only choice they had. He needed to go back to the "I" and the "me".

Annette and Patricia came along with Hershel to show them around, even though Daryl had seen the place several times. Again, Carol was almost trembling with excitement and nervous energy as they pulled onto a rarely used drive. He followed the winding driveway from the gap in the trees and memory alone. There was an undisturbed blanket of snow covering the whole place.

It was slow going through all that snow but eventually the house came into view. Now that he was looking right at it he couldn't help but be a little more excited himself. It wasn't anything fancy, really. It was just an old two story farmhouse, but the front porch was wide and it had a fresh coat of paint. There were a few scattered outbuildings and there were trees everywhere. It was like the house had grown right out of the woods themselves. It just belonged. And Daryl felt like he belonged too. That was a strange feeling for him. He was used to feeling out of place no matter where he was. But not here. That was why he wanted it so badly. That was why he was willing to move some woman that he barely knew right in with him so he could manage to own it.

"Oh my God! Are you serious?" Carol's wide eyes landed on him, her smile causing his breath to catch in his throat. "We're going to live here? This is it?"

He nodded, watching her closely, the house all but forgotten as he took in her face.

"It's... Daryl this is amazing!" he grunted as she nearly threw herself across the seat, hugging him tightly. This time she didn't even realize that he was frozen in place and she was almost on his lap. Why did she have to be such a hugger? Hershel and Annette were right behind them, surely watching the whole show. She pulled back, her hands on his shoulders and her eyes sparkling even though it was overcast outside. "I swear, you won't regret this. I won't bother you at all. You won't even know I'm here. You have no idea how exciting this is! I've always wanted to live in a place like this. Look at the trees! Oh my God! We should get a dog! We should get a lot of dogs!"

She was wrong. He would definitely know she was here. Especially if she got into the habit of throwing herself on top of him every time she got excited about something. He was about to say something but she didn't give him a chance. She was so eager to get outside to look around that she didn't bother with her own damn door. She threw his open and climbed right over him.

Jesus, this was gonna be... interesting.

"I believe someone likes it already," Hershel chuckled as Daryl finally got out of the truck.

"Are you kidding?" Carol asked, her face tinged pink from the cold. He barely even noticed the bruising on her jaw or the cut on her lip since it was almost impossible to not stare at her eyes.

Her enthusiasm didn't dim when they went inside. He had seen many different sides to her in the few days that they had known each other. The fearful woman that lived inside her own head. That version of her was quiet and contemplative. The one that instantly assumed that he was going to be mad about something she had done. And then he would see glimpses of her overly troubled side. He'd seen her angry when he had refused to go into the store with her, even though her anger wasn't anything to be worried about. She mostly just slammed the truck door and gave him a dirty look. And then there was her teasing side that had shown it's face a few times.

This, even though he wouldn't dare tell anyone, was his favorite Carol by far. There was no fear. No anger. She was almost childlike in her excitement and all of her walls had been lowered. It was this Carol that he couldn't seem to stop staring at. It was this Carol that he wanted to see more of and he found himself wondering what he could do to bring out this side of her more often.

Daryl and Hershel had been left in the kitchen while the women dragged Carol off to see the rest of the house.

"Can I ask you something?" Hershel's voice was low as they leaned against the long counter.

"Shoot," Daryl said, feeling a little nervous at the tone of Hershel's voice.

Hershel glanced at the wide doorway leading into the dining room. He didn't have to because he could hear the women upstairs. "I couldn't help but notice her face."

Daryl met the man's eyes then. "Yeah. It's hard to miss."

"Is that why she's with you? Is she in some kind of trouble?"

Daryl looked away. "It ain't my story to tell."

"I've seen it before. That look. I saw it in the Diner and knew right away. I know you're a good man, Daryl. You're rough around the edges, sure, but you're a good man all the same. Just remember that if the man you took her from would do what he did to her, he might not let her go easily. The girl's probably been through more than you can imagine. You keep her safe, son."

Daryl felt his jaw clench at Hershel's words. His only response was a stiff nod before the women entered the room, chattering excitedly. Carol caught his eye and then grabbed his hand. "You have to see this," she beamed as she nearly dragged him out of the room.

He let her drag him away because he wanted to get away from Hershel's assessment. He didn't want to think about what kind of horrors she had been through. He just wanted to think of ways to keep them at bay. She pulled him up the stairs, her grip on his hand warm and firm, like she thought he'd bolt back down the stairs if she didn't keep a hold of him. She must have forgotten that he had seen the house before. At the top of the stairs there was a hallway with a door on either side. At the end was another door that led to a bathroom. She opened the door on the right and pulled him inside.

"It's great, right?" She asked, still gripping his hand.

He glanced around. There was a full sized bed with a matching dresser, mirror and chest of drawers. There was a cedar trunk, pushed against the bed's foot board. Matching night stands sat on either side of the bed. It was nice as far as rooms went but it was actually the smallest bedroom in the house. "It's small," he noted.

She snorted and waved him off. "That doesn't mean anything. For me, it's great."

"So you want this room?" He asked, raising a brow.

"Unless you want it," she bit her lip as she gazed at him from under her lashes.

He shook his head, "I don't want it. Had my eye on the one across the hall."

Those eyes lit up again. "I thought you would want the big bedroom downstairs! Not that that would matter if you did but I don't know your brother and living right across the hall from him would be weird. I'm so excited about this house!"

"I can tell," he felt his lips twitch but he refused to laugh at her.

She sighed. "You must think I'm an idiot. It's just a house but really, it's a fresh start. I can be-"

"Whoever the fuck you wanna be," he finished for her.

"Exactly. And I'm sorry about what I did in the truck. I didn't mean to do that." Now she looked embarrassed, as she very well should have been, crawling all over him like that.

"No big deal," he lied. It was kind of a big deal. The closer she got to him the closer he wanted her to be. His head was getting all clouded up every time she let her guard down and touched him. That wasn't a good idea. They had an agreement to live together out of necessity. He couldn't be worried about himself getting mixed up with her emotionally... or physically.

"Are we staying tonight? You're closer to work and I'm closer to Hershel and it makes sense. Patricia said they haven't been out here in a while so the whole place needs dusted and scrubbed and we can go out for dinner and the fireplace would be enough to keep us warm tonight." She rambled on and on.

He waited for her to finish before he nodded in agreement. "We can do that." She had used a lot of "us" and "we" in all that jabbering she was doing but he brushed it off. "We won't need the fireplace though." He flipped the light switch and the overhead light came on. "They kept the power on. I just gotta get it transferred."

Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were still bright and he suddenly had an overwhelming urge to get closer to her.

"Well, we should get back down there then," she said suddenly.

He couldn't agree more. The room felt smaller and the bed seemed bigger and her lips looked softer. He swallowed hard. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

He was in serious trouble if he didn't stop letting his mind run away from him like that. This time she didn't grab his hand and he was glad. He was starting to think that this was going to be a lot harder than he thought it was going to be.


	12. Chapter 12

**This is one of those chapters that I'm iffy about but going over it ten thousand times only resulted in the same thing so I'm just gonna throw it out there and hope for the best. Hope you're having a great weekend! Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Twelve**

Now that she had time to process the whole situation she felt incredibly embarrassed. She had been so excited about the place that she hadn't been able to help herself. Now Daryl was looking at her strangely and Annette and Hershel wouldn't stop smiling at her. And Annette had assumed that Carol needed some helpful advice on how to "seal the deal" with Daryl. She had almost died when the women had suggested something like that.

Then again they had a full on view of her crawling all over him in the truck. Her face burned even remembering it. He had simply stared at her in shock but she hadn't even registered that. She needed to stop. She knew he didn't want her touching him. She could tell just by the way he acted and it wasn't like she wanted too!

And then there was the way she acted this morning. He had complimented her cooking. It was a very simple thing. Something that a normal person wouldn't have thought twice about, but it had warmed her all the way to her feet. She wasn't used to compliments. Tara had been very kind to her at the Diner but that was just someone being nice because it was their job to be nice. He hadn't complained about her cooking and that had been such a victory, but then he had turned and threw out some nice words and she had to fight back tears. She was such a mess. So much that it scared her. She had to get a grip on her roiling emotions.

"Hey." His voice penetrated her thoughts and she turned to look at him. "We've been parked for a couple of minutes." He nodded towards the Diner, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh!" She said with a start. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He chuckled. "Because I thought you might have noticed when I turned off the truck."

"I was just thinking," she said, hearing the defensiveness in her own voice. "Let's go eat so we can get back to the house."

He agreed and they made their way inside out of the cold. It was a lot more crowded during this time of day but she didn't mind. When Tara looked up she grinned and waved at them. Carol waved back as she followed Daryl to a corner table, away from the other patrons. She was glad he did. She wasn't used to this many people and even though it didn't bother her too much to be around them it still made her a little nervous. She would get used to it eventually, though.

Tara showed up quickly giving them both knowing looks. "Two dates in a row, huh? Damn Dixon. When you do start moving you move pretty fast huh?"

Carol smiled. "You don't know the half of it."

They both laughed as Daryl turned red and glared between the two of them. This time Carol ordered a salad and a water, pretending to be oblivious to Daryl's disapproving look. She had consumed more food in the last few days than she would have in a week before. Daryl got the same thing he apparently always got.

"Salad and water, huh?" He quirked a brow. "Don't tell me you're that girl."

She took a sip of water and eyed him. "And what girl would that be?"

He studied her for a long time before answering her. "The kind that always thinks she needs to watch her weight even though she's got the body that other girls want. There ain't nothin' wrong with how you look. You ain't seein' what other people see when you look at yourself."

She felt her eyes start to lower but then forced them back up to meet his. She didn't really believe him but what he said was the nicest thing she had heard in years. "You're really sweet, Daryl."

He scowled and looked away and they didn't say anything else for a while. When the food got there she had to admit that his looked a lot better than hers. She rested her chin on her hand and stirred the lettuce around with a sigh. She was surprised when he pulled the plate away from her and snatched her fork out of her hand. He used both forks to put half the salad on his own plate and plopped half of his cheeseburger onto hers. He scooted it back to her. "Compromise then."

She couldn't believe how insanely nice this man was. He just shrugged, of course, because that's what he did. He was the most amazing person she had ever met in her life. She was lucky to know him at all. "You didn't have to do that," she said softly.

"You didn't have to move in with me so I could get that house either. But you did," he countered as he made a face at the bite of salad he'd just taken.

"I wanted too."

"And I wanted to share the damn burger."

They ate in comfortable silence after that, both of them refusing desert when Tara asked. Carol expected the girl to walk away but she just stood there, smiling. "So, you guys moved in together already? Somewhere near the Greene's place?"

Carol and Daryl shared a look. He grimaced. "We just came from there. How the hell do you already know about it?"

"Glenn called and told me," she shrugged.

"How the hell would Glenn know?" He asked.

"Maggie called him and told him all about it."

Daryl groaned and handed her the money for their meal. "You bunch are the nosiest damn people I've ever met in my life."

"You love us, even if you don't like to admit it," she grinned and turned to walk away. "And I'm keeping the change this time. You're a horrible tipper," she called over her shoulder.

She felt good when they left. There was still plenty of light and she was eager to get home.

Home.

She repeated the word over and over in her mind. The house that she had shared with Ed had never been a home. It had been a prison. It had been a nightmare. But this place was different. She wanted to be there. She wanted to make the bedroom her own with her own touches. She wanted to hang out with Daryl on the porch when the weather was warmer. She felt more happy than she ever had before. And she was going to go to work in a few days. She would get to meet new people and help sick animals. She was going to carve out a place in the world that was just her own. And she was going to get to do it all while spending time with an amazing man. How could just a few days change everything so completely?

He seemed to be a million miles away when they pulled up in front of the house. He looked troubled. She missed that lightness about him and she couldn't help but wonder if he was having second thoughts about living out here with her. The thought was terrifying. She didn't know what she would do if he decided that this was all just too much. Because it _was_ too much. She could tell that he wasn't much of a people person and everything he had done since the night he had stopped and asked her if she needed help, was him going way out of his comfort zone.

He was about fifteen feet ahead of her when she decided to go out of her own comfort zone. Way out. She pulled off her gloves and scooped up a hand full of snow. He was almost to the steps when she threw it as hard as she could. It smacked him right in the back of the head and she covered her mouth with her hands. She had been aiming for his back!

He stiffened and then turned slowly, his eyes wide and disbelieving. She swallowed down her fear. He wouldn't hurt her and she knew it. There was nothing to be afraid of.

She waved and smiled brightly until he turned to face her fully. They locked eyes for a few heartbeats and then she yelped loudly when he scooped up a handful of his own. She turned around and took off for the thicker trees. She had expected him to laugh it off. She never expected him to retaliate! She wasn't fast enough at all and he was gaining ground so she veered off, heading towards the driveway instead. If she had to she would lock herself in the truck until he gave up and went inside. Only she didn't make it to the truck.

She felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and then she was almost lifted into the air as he spun her around. Then she was slapped in the face with a handful of snow. She was in the middle of laughing too, which caused a lot of it to go into her mouth. She squirmed as hard as she could against him but all she managed to do with all that squirming was cause him to lose his footing on the slick ground and he fell backwards, his arm still around her.

He made a pained sound and all of the fun left the situation when she actually thought that she had hurt him. She rolled over, sitting up with her hands braced on his chest. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for you to get hurt!"

He moved quickly, flipping her until she was the one now trapped flat on her back. "You think too highly of yourself, woman," he said smugly.

She laughed, relieved that the fall hadn't done any damage to anything other that his pride. She took another handful of snow and shoved it into his face. He growled, grabbing her wrists and pulling them up so they were trapped above her head. She was breathing heavily and squirming to get away but his whole body was trapping her to the ground.

"I give. I swear, no more," she panted.

"You're a quitter," he said with a grin right before he threw more snow in her face with the hand that wasn't pinning her hands above her head. "Must be all that rabbit food you eat, caused you to be a little wimp."

She laughed and then fought against him, but only managed to free her legs but it did her no good since this maneuver just managed to put him between them. She planted her feet on the ground and tried to buck him off but that didn't work either. He was too heavy. It took her a few seconds to realize what she was doing. He had grown perfectly still, his pupils blown wide, darkening his eyes. A thrill shot through her, surprising her as warmth pooled low in her stomach. The pressure of him pressed against her center was excruciating in a way that was unlike anything she had ever felt. Against her will she moved under him once more, her body suddenly craving the friction, needing to feel that small thrill one more time.

His fingers loosened on her wrists and she heard a warning growl rumble through his chest, but instead of fear or embarrassment the sound filled her with a shocking need. He let go of her wrists, his hand landing close to her head. She could smell the leather of his jacket. The smell of his soap. The smell that was just all his, that wild smell, like clean water, the woods, rain... She swallowed hard and then her hand went up, cupping his neck, that was somehow warm despite the cold air surrounding them. He licked his lips, and then his face inched a little closer. Her heart thundered in her chest, anticipation chasing away any feelings of fear that may have been waiting to spring up.

"You know there's three different beds in the house for that kind of thing. The two of you are going to catch your death out here!"

The sound of Annette's voice had him sitting up on his knees and then scrambling to his feet. He reached down, offering his hand and then yanked her up quickly. Despite the temperature her whole body felt flushed. Overheated. She felt the need to explain. "I hit him with a snowball."

She couldn't believe that neither of them had even heard the couple pull up behind the truck!

Annette raised an eyebrow and then smiled indulgently. "I see how that could cause things to get out of hand." She sighed. "To be young again."

Hershel snorted and took the black plastic bag from his wife. Carol hadn't even noticed she had been carrying anything. He held up the bag. "We were planning on taking these to donate some time this week but Annette said all you had was one bag with you. These are our Maggie's clothes that's been hanging in the closet since she went off to school and she made it clear she has enough clutter at her apartment. We thought we'd bring them over and let you go through them since you don't have much."

"Thank you," she said, genuinely happy that she was going to be able to have some new things to hang in her own closet.

"You may wear around the same size as Maggie. It's hard to tell under those baggy clothes, dear," Annette said with a smile. "Maggie will be glad to hear someone is getting some use out of all of this anyway."

"Tell her thank you for me," Carol said.

Annette nodded. "We should head back home. It'll be getting dark soon and Daryl will need to get you two a fire started. The power is on but the heat in there is gas. They'll be out to transfer it tomorrow sometime."

They said their goodbyes, leaving Daryl and Carol standing outside in the snow.

"She's right. I need to get that fire started. It ain't suppose to get as bad tonight but better safe than sorry," he said as he grabbed the bag from her and started towards the house.

She stood there for a few moments, watching him go. What had happened? Why had she reacted that way? She couldn't stand the thought of being with a man like that! Not ever again. But so far, everything about him was so drastically different than Ed. Could that be different too? She had seen her share of movies with sex scenes in them and she always hated how fake they were. Being with a man wasn't like that. It was brutal and painful and humiliating. That was sex. She cursed herself for being such an idiot. She didn't need that kind of complication in her life right now. Or ever. Her whole world was changing rapidly and she needed to focus on getting her bearings. Not lusting after the only real friend that she had in the world at the moment.

"You comin' or what?" He called from the door.

She nodded and hurried after him, finally feeling the chill from rolling around in the snow with him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello! I went over this really quick because I have a sick kid and family coming over for dinner which is a horrible combo, but I'm everywhere at the moment! Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Thirteen**

He managed to get a fire blazing and the downstairs was warming up quickly. Carol was upstairs in her own room, going through the clothes that Hershel and Annette had brought her. He honestly thought that she was wasting her time. He had met the older Greene girl and he had serious doubts that Carol would ever wear anything that Maggie Greene would wear. And that was a goddamn shame because he knew exactly how good she would look in them. He wished she could see what he saw when he looked at her but so many years of hearing nothing but put downs had taken their toll on her. And he didn't know how to reverse the damage Ed had done to her confidence.

"Daryl!"

He glanced over his shoulder with a frown. What the hell was she up there yelling about? He threw one more log on the fire, dusted his hands on the seat of his pants and stomped up the stairs. "What?" He called back. He was more than a little shaken up over what had happened out there. He had no idea what it was and he was glad that whatever spell had fallen over him had been broken.

"I don't want to hurt Annette's feelings but I don't think I can do this," she yelled from behind her closed bedroom door.

"Do what?" He knew this was going to happen.

The door opened up and she poked her head out. "I can't wear these clothes. I look ridiculous. Can you take them and drop them off at a mission store or something on your way to work?"

He shook his head. "You don't think she won't notice that you aren't wearing anything she gave you?" He asked.

She blew a strand of hair out of her face and gave him a pained look. Her eyes were so guarded that it caused him to frown.

"Let me see," he said, pushing lightly on the door.

She shook her head. "God no! Just go away. I'll think of something."

"Carol, your clothes suck. Trust me, I've seen them. And I'll tell you if you look as stupid in Maggie's clothes as you look in your own." _Oh that was real nice, dumb ass_ , he thought to himself.

She scowled. "Daryl, that's the meanest thing I've ever heard you say to me." She tried to slam the door but he stuck his boot in the way. "Nothing fits. Everything is too small." She struggled to shut the door but he wasn't moving.

If he knew Maggie then he knew that the clothes weren't too small but they were probably a lot more form fitting than anything Carol owned. Even those jeans she had on yesterday. "Open the door you chicken."

To his surprise she swung the door open all the way and stood there with her arm braced on the wood like she was prepared to slam it in his face if he said the wrong thing. He liked that fire in her but she didn't have to worry about that at all. As a matter of fact, he couldn't say a damn thing. Nothing. No words came to mind.

"I told you," she said in that self loathing tone that he hated. She tugged the clinging shirt away from her waist but it just went right back.

He had seen her in a towel but for some reason that didn't have the same effect on him that the simple jeans and tee shirt had. Jeans that hugged her thighs and wrapped around her hips like a second skin. The red tee shirt was a V neck and clung to her as well, molding to her waist. His eyes kept moving up, zeroing in on her chest, the low cut of the shirt giving him just the faintest peek at the top swell of her breasts. The skin there was pale and smooth with a dusting of freckles. he ignored the bruises because if he focused on them he'd get mad all over again.

"Well?" She asked, forcing him to drag his eyes up further to meet hers. She wasn't looking at him, though. He was glad because he just realized that his mouth was hanging open. It didn't make any damn sense either because he had seen a lot of other women dressed a lot more sexy than this and they did very little for him. Finally she looked up.

"It looks good," he said, wincing at the husky quality of his voice. He seriously needed to get a handle on his hormones. "I mean it, it's a lot better than your other stuff. We should just burn the other stuff."

She didn't look convinced but he didn't know what else to say. "You're a nice guy and you're my friend. You have to say that."

He shook his head. "I told you that your clothes looked stupid. Now I'm tellin' you that you look good. I'm an honest man before I'm a nice guy and that," he nodded towards her, letting his eyes sweep over her again, "That's good. You need to keep them. All of them."

"Are you just saying that?"

Jesus Christ, why were women like this? "It don't look as good as that towel but, yeah, I'm sure." _Did he really just fucking say that out loud_? He ran a hand through his hair and grabbed her hand, dragging her towards the dresser with a large mirror on top. He stopped, facing the mirror. He met her eyes in the glass. "You see what he's told you to see," he stated firmly. "What do _you_ see?"

She looked up, meeting the eyes of her own reflection in the mirror and then flushed deeply. She shrugged. "I guess I just see me."

He shook his head, desperate for her to understand but not knowing how to get her to because he just didn't know how. "Specifics. Give me specifics."

She swallowed hard, her eyes wide. "Blue eyes. A nose. A mouth." She swallowed again and frowned at her reflection, her gaze turning inward. "My eyes are common. A lot of people have blue eyes. My nose is too big too and my lips are too thin. Why are you making me do this?" She asked, her eyes not leaving her reflection, her voice sounding hurt. "My hair is kind of dull and I can't ever get it to do anything. It looks messy. I should probably try to lose a little weight too and..." She stared hard and he wished that he'd never done this.

He took a steadying breath and opened his mouth, hoping what came out wasn't too stupid. "Your eyes ain't common. When the sun hits'em it brings out a lot of silvery lookin' flecks that make'em brighter than other people's, more blue somehow. The size of your nose is fine and your lips ain't too thin. Trust me, I'm the one that's spent the last couple of days lookin' at them." Now it was his turn to flush but he kept his eyes on hers and he felt the corner of his mouth turn up. _Keep going damn it, she needs this,_ he urged himself on.

"And when your hair is all crazy it makes me think that somewhere in there, you got some secret wild hippie side to you that ain't came out yet. You, uh... There ain't nothin' wrong with your body. I done told you that. It's... You know. A good one." _A good one? Really, you lame ass fucker? Jesus, what are you even trying to do here?_

She looked up at him in the mirror and she smiled a little before looking back at herself. He needed to just spit it out. Just spit out what he'd been thinking since the moment he got a good look at her. She needed to hear it. She desperately needed to hear it because she probably hadn't ever heard it before now and there wasn't anyone else here to say it. She spoke then, cutting into his thoughts and her voice was so quiet that he barely heard her. "I believe that you see that. I really do. I just wish that I could see it too."

Damn it, he wished the same thing. "Look," he started, his eyes going down to focus on a small jewelry box on the dresser that had been left. "I've seen my share of women, Carol. I've been around plenty, and I can't rightly recall one of them that can hold a candle to you. Trust me on that. You're... You're a beautiful fucking woman and one day you'll see it. Maybe it won't be tomorrow," his eyes finally met hers again. She was staring at him, slack jawed. "It might not be in a week, but some day, you're gonna see what I see. And once you do, you can start getting rid of all the goddamn poison that cock sucker has spent the last five years pouring down your goddamn throat. You're funny, you're nice and deep down you're goddamn strong and someday you're gonna wake up and all that is gonna slap you right in the face and you'll know that I'm tellin' you the truth. You can believe him if you want, but I think you should try to believe me instead."

She turned wide eyes on him and she bit her lip, which was another agonizing thing he noticed her doing a lot. It made him want to sink his own teeth into the softness there. "You don't have to say things like that to me," she blinked, her eyes misty, "But thank you." She turned away from the mirror and then walked to the door.

He stepped out of the room, meeting her eyes as she pushed the door shut. He didn't miss the tear that escaped her though. He turned around and hauled ass down the stairs. His mind instantly went back to what had happened earlier out in the yard.

That couldn't happen again. She was so goddamn fragile right now and he had no idea how long it would take his clumsy ass compliments to fill up the cracks that she was so full of. "What in the fuck is wrong with you, dumb ass," he hissed out loud. "Off limits. Completely off fucking limits." He thought maybe if he told himself this out loud that his mind wouldn't jump back to the sensuous way her body had moved under his outside in the snow. "Fuck," he hissed, sitting down heavily. "Fuckin' shit fucker."

He leaned back into the couch. A much nicer couch than he had had at the other house. Staring into the flames he willed his mind to think about anything but her body under his and the way she had looked when he'd tried to tell her that she was more than she thought.

This was some bullshit. What had happened out there was an innocent mistake on her part and he couldn't seem to get it out of his head. At all. And what the hell would he have done if Hershel and Annette hadn't shown up? Would he have actually tried to kiss her? Because that was what he had wanted to do. He wanted to kiss her until she couldn't even remember her own name.

He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. This was insane. He was only thinking about it so hard because he wasn't used to spending this much time with a woman. A woman that he actually enjoyed spending time with. A woman that he wanted to be around. And his head and his body were confused. His head knew that the two of them needed to keep things as platonic as possible to make this work. His body on the other hand knew that he could give her something that she hadn't even known she had been missing.

"Not helping, idiot," he grumbled to himself, yanking one of the throw pillows out from behind him and holding it on his lap.

"What?"

He jumped, turning his head to find her standing at the bottom of the stairs. She was still wearing the fucking shirt. Why was she still wearing the shirt? She didn't even like it. "Nothin'," he muttered. At least she was wearing a pair of pajama pants that fit her loosely. That had to count for something. "Why are you still up, anyway? You couldn't have gotten more than a few hours sleep last night."

She shrugged, pulling her unruly curls back and securing them in a loose bun. She looked better than she had when he had left her up there, like she had forcefully put herself back together. Her eyes were clear at least, even if they were still a little sad. "I never get much sleep." She came around the side of the couch and flounced down next to him. "You really know how to make it hot, huh?"

He turned his head sharply, his heart leaping into his throat. He gripped the pillow in his lap tighter. "What?" He choked.

She pointed at the fire roaring in the fireplace. "It feels good after last night."

"Oh. Yeah. Wanted to make sure you didn't freeze your ass off again," he grumbled, forcing himself to relax. "I'm on watch tonight. I'll sleep on the couch and make sure it don't go out."

"You don't have to do that. You have to get up early for work and I don't have to do anything but keep a fire going until the gas man comes. You go on to bed."

He shook his head. "I don't need some woman coddling me. I'm a grown man that's been taking care of myself for more years than I can remember. You go on to bed."

She shook her head. "Nope."

He grimaced. "You're becomin' a pain in the ass."

She yawned and stretched out, her sock clad feet on his thigh. "This couch is amazing. I can sleep here."

"Carol," he growled.

"Hmm?" She hummed in the back of her throat, her eyes closed and one arm folded behind her head.

"Go to bed."

"You aren't my boss," she mumbled sleepily, eyes still closed.

He couldn't help but smile slightly. He grabbed her ankle and shook it, forced back the urge to slide his hand up her leg. "Fine. You wanna be stubborn then be stubborn, but I ain't goin' anywhere."

"Night, Daryl," came her slurred response.

He sighed and let his head fall back. She had done enough the night before and he wasn't about to slink off to bed and let her take care of the fire. Not that she would even be able to. She was exhausted from staying up most of last night and she was probably drained from the events of the last few days.

Hell, he had gotten plenty of sleep and even he was tired already. It wasn't even eight o'clock yet but he felt his eyelids growing heavy as he listened to the fire. He relaxed further into the couch, his hand still wrapped around her ankle as he fell asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**We have a freak stomach virus making its gross rounds here at my house. So far I haven't really been hit so please keep your fingers crossed that it skips me! Hope you enjoy this chapter and as always, thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

She had no idea what time it was when she woke up but it wasn't daylight yet. The fire was still burning but it was just low embers with a few hungry flames lapping at the coals. She was about to get up to throw a log on the fire, even though she felt extremely warm. She was about to move when she noticed that she wasn't alone on the couch.

She glanced down and realized why she was so warm. Her legs were draped over Daryl's lap and he must have fallen asleep and moved around to find a more comfortable spot. It was strange, him being so close and her being perfectly okay with it. He was wedged between her and the back of the couch with his head resting on her stomach and his arm draped lazily over her hips. She didn't know why she had the urge to do it but she suddenly ran her fingers through his hair. It was soft under her touch. She suddenly remembered everything he had said to her earlier and she felt a lump form in her throat. She didn't know what to do with his assessment of her because it simply didn't make any sense to her. If she was everything that he said she was then why hadn't she been able to make her marriage work? But she already knew the answer to that. It was because she hadn't married a man at all. She had married a self loathing monster that took his frustrations out on her. Ed was no kind of man.

He stirred, shifting in his sleep. She pulled her hand back quickly. He pulled his legs up onto the couch and moved up, muttering something that she didn't catch. She was forced to roll over onto her side to accommodate him. She didn't mind though. His arm came around her, pulling her closer until her back was pressed firmly against his chest. She waited to feel the paralyzing fear that usually filled her when she would feel Ed's arm go around her like this. But it never came.

Instead she felt something that she hadn't felt in so long that at first she wasn't sure what it was. It took her a few seconds to realize that what she was feeling was... safe. She felt like nothing could hurt her. He wouldn't let anything hurt her. She shouldn't feel that way. She shouldn't trust him, not like this, and she knew it. And even if she did trust him, even if she did feel safe with him, it wasn't smart to let herself start feeling anything for him.

"Daryl?" She whispered.

He huffed, his breath blowing against her neck. She closed her eyes.

"Daryl," she said a little louder.

He stirred and she could tell when he finally came fully awake because he tensed behind her. He moved his arm and sat up, almost knocking her off the couch. He caught her before she could fall and then he quickly crawled over her so he could stand up, careful not to let any part of him touch her. It all happened so fast that all she could do was sit up quickly. He looked down at her, his eyes wide. "Sorry about that. I must have moved around in my sleep."

She offered him a weak smile. "It's okay."

He ran a hand through his hair and glanced at the clock that hung on the wall next to the dining room. "Shit. It's only two. I'm gonna go ahead and go on up to bed. A few more logs on that fire and it should hold till mornin'."

"I think I will too," she said, standing up and watching as he threw two logs on the fire. She turned before he could, not knowing what she would end up blurting out if she had to look at him. She heard him on the stairs behind her. "I'll see you in the morning," she said before she slipped into her room.

"Night," was his muttered response as he disappeared through his own doorway.

They had to leave both of their doors open so the heat could get to them and it took her a long time to get to sleep after that. In the silence of the house she could hear him tossing and turning. What was keeping him awake? He seemed a lot more upset than he should have been when he had realized that he had fallen asleep on the couch with her. And he had acted... strange when she had come back downstairs after what had happened in her room.

She was so afraid of messing up that she wasn't sure if anything she was doing was right. It wasn't like with Ed, where she had to live on egg shells for fear of him hurting her. But she was always worried that Daryl would decide that it was too much and tell her that she should find her own place like they had planned on her doing in the first place. She didn't want her own place. She wanted this place. She wanted to be around him because he made her feel like a different person. He made her feel like a better person. A worthy person. She fell asleep with these worries running through her mind but when she dreamed it wasn't of Daryl but Ed.

She woke up to the sound of the shower running and knew that Daryl was getting ready for work. She had meant to get up before him so she could get him fed and caffeinated before he left for the day. She had a lot to do around the house anyway.

Running her fingers through her hair as she hurried down the stairs she nearly tripped over her own feet before she could sweep it back in a ponytail. She already had the coffee pot ready so all she had to do was push the button and get breakfast started. She wasn't sure what time he had to leave this morning so she didn't really know what to make him but that was okay. She would make due.

She jumped when she heard him chuckle behind her. She hadn't even heard him enter the room.

"You coulda stayed in bed, Carol. You ain't gotta do this every mornin'," he said as sat down in the chair, his work boots in hand.

"I have a lot to do today anyway so I may as well get started early. The whole house needs dusted and the bedding needs washed and the floors need scrubbed and-"

"Okay, I get it," he said as he tied his boots. "But just so you know, you don't have to feel like you gotta do it all, alright."

She glanced over her shoulder, a ready smile on her lips. "I know."

He nodded and accepted the cup she offered.

"What time will you be home?" She asked, only hesitating for a moment. She never asked Ed things like this because it was a sure fire way of starting a fight. It wasn't any of her business when he came home.

But Daryl just sighed. "I'm scheduled for doubles for the rest of the week. Should be home around one."

"In the morning?" She asked, not even trying to hide the disappointment she felt.

"Yeah. The schedule was already made before... all this happened. If I back out on the other shifts it'll leave them short handed. I already did that yesterday. I can't do it to them again."

"It was a good day though," she smiled, glancing at him. She sat a plate of pancakes in front of him.

He looked up from under a fringe of hair. "Yeah, it was."

Before he left he reminded her that the phone and gas would be transferred today. He also told her that she wasn't stuck in the house just because she didn't have a car yet. There was a path that led right to the back of the Greene's property and if she got bored she could always go pay Annette a visit. She didn't think she'd have time with everything that needed done around the house but it felt good to know that if she wanted, she could always go over for coffee or lunch.

He ate in silence after that while she threw together some sandwiches and snack foods to toss in a bag for his lunch. When he was done he stood in front of the sink for a few minutes, his eyes far away as he picked at a hang nail on his thumb. His silence was making her nervous but she didn't say anything. Finally he glanced at the clock on the stove and huffed. "Guess it's that time," he said, not sounding like he wanted to go at all. He took the bag she held out for him with a small smile on his face.

She followed him to the living room. He was about to head towards the door but she reached out suddenly, stopping him with a hand on his arm. He turned and looked at her curiously. She chewed her lip for a second, not sure how to word her question but she had to ask it. "We're okay, right? I mean, you aren't thinking that maybe this whole thing is too crazy to work? I mean the whole thing is so-" Her words died in her throat when she felt his hand on the side of her face. She had to will herself not to lean into it. His thumb brushed across the bruise left there on the morning she had left everything she knew.

"No," he said firmly. "It's probably the first damn thing I've done right my whole life. Quit stressin'."

She swallowed hard and nodded. He hesitated a moment and then dropped his hand. "I'll fix you a plate and put it in the fridge so you can heat it up when you get home," she said before he pulled the door open.

He turned, giving her a look. "Or you can let me fend for myself like the grown man I am."

She shoved him gently out the door. "Like I said. Dinner will be in the fridge."

He smiled, took a few steps backwards and then turned and headed for the truck. She leaned into the doorway like a love sick idiot and watched him go.

~H~

Today wasn't going to be one of those days that he had the luxury of sitting around waiting on a phone call from some stranded motorist. The night shift guy, who was less than pleased that he'd had to come in on his day off, handed him the paper as soon as he clocked in.

He glanced at the sheet of paper and then folded it, shoving it into his back pocket. He was thinking about Carol as he pulled out of the lot, unable to help himself. He'd freaked out when he had realized they had fallen asleep on the couch. It freaked him out because it had felt like the most natural thing in the world. He had allowed himself about thirty seconds to just lay there, his arm around her and her body warm against his own. Even her smell was a comfort. In those few seconds his mind had decided if he never touched another woman for the rest of his life, he wouldn't care, as long as he had her there. And that had freaked him the fuck out to the point of panic. Panic because those thoughts were a lot worse than the ones he had had before. Lusting after her was one thing. He was a man and she was a woman and that was a natural reaction. A physical longing to take her was one thing. An emotional attachment to that extreme was goddamn terrifying. And she made it hard. Goddamn hard just by being who she was.

When he pulled up behind the car he was suppose to pull out of the ditch his hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. This couldn't be happening. He wasn't going to be able to do this.

Ed Peletier looked up as he turned the truck around and parked it at an angle so he could get it hooked up. His friend was with him so he assumed that the two of them were just now making their way back from the city. So he hadn't been home yet. So far all he knew was that Carol hadn't answered the phone. He wasn't one hundred percent positive that she had moved out on him. God what Daryl would do to be a fly on the wall of that house when he came in and realized that his meek little wife had flown the coop.

He expected a confrontation as soon as he hopped down from the tow truck and made his way towards the men. He was more than surprised when neither seemed to recognize him from the mishap at the gas station. They both looked like they had been ridden hard and put up wet and he realized with a grimace that that was likely what had happened to them. So not only was Ed a piece of shit woman beater but he was also someone that would cheat on the wife he beat. Somehow that made him even worse in Daryl's eyes. If Carol was his he'd never even think about looking at another woman like that. Hell, she wasn't his and he still wasn't looking at other women like that.

"Damn it!" Ed cursed as he glared at the cell phone he had just pulled away from his ear. "Battery's dead. What about yours?"

Philip shook his head. "Mine too. I had my hands too full this weekend to worry about charging my phone." He smiled and Daryl wanted to knock his teeth out. This cock sucker knew all about what went on in that house. He could have tried to stop it but he never had. Instead he had been laughing about it in that gas station. Finding a maniacal humor in Carol's humiliation and pain.

Daryl listened closely to the conversation as he readied the car.

"She thinks last time was bad," Ed growled. "That was nothing compared to what's coming to her. She knows to answer my goddamn calls." Philip chuckled as Ed muttered something else that had Daryl's blood freezing. "She's lucky I've had my fill this weekend. I swear to God this time I'd tie her ass to that bed and make it last all day."

Daryl swallowed down the bile that rose to the back of his throat. He willed his heart to calm down and his fists to unclench. He had to have this job. He couldn't go around beating customers in the head with a crowbar, even though that was exactly what he wanted to do. Was that another thing she'd had to endure? He didn't want to think about that. Ever.

"Y'all got a ride comin'?" He asked, his voice shaking with rage that the two men didn't seem to even catch.

Ed shook his head. "Neither one of us have a phone that works right now. You think you can let me borrow yours?"

Daryl shook his head. "Don't have one." An idea occurred to him then. He knew he shouldn't do it but he couldn't resist. "Look, I can just give you a lift to your place. Sounds to me like you got some unfinished business you need to get back to."

"Hey, do I know you?" Philip asked suddenly.

Daryl's eyes cut to him sharply. "Sorry fella. I've heard that pick up line before. My boat don't float that way."

Ed chuckled but Philip looked offended. "Alright then. Appreciate it," Ed said, elbowing Philip on his way past.

Philip didn't look too happy but he seemed like he wasn't willing to stand out in the cold waiting on someone else to happen by. There was plenty of room in the cab of the truck to accommodate the three of them but Daryl felt tainted just from breathing the same air as the two of them. But it would be worth it. He would think of an excuse to get into that house so he could see the look on Ed's face when he realized Carol was gone. He would stomach the drive for that.


	15. Chapter 15

**Two tablespoons of raw honey, two tablespoons of Bragg's apple cider vinegar, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a quarter teaspoon of ground turmeric mixed up in a shot of warm water tastes like total ass but it will beat the hell out of a stomach virus. I downed that and ended up with a headache and the bluhs but I didn't get sick like everyone else. In case any of you out there like home remedies I figured I'd throw that out there. lol**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter because I enjoyed writing this one. Thank you for reading! =)**

 **Chapter Fifteen**

When they pulled up at Ed's place Daryl glanced over. "Look man, I wasn't suppose to be gone this long. I hadn't expected to be taking anyone anywhere. You got a house phone I can use to call my boss. My CB is busted so I can't get back with them."

Ed nodded. "As long as you keep it quick. I have a lot to do this morning."

Philip chuckled as he turned to go to his own house. "You let me know how that works out for you, Peletier. Don't forget the pictures this time." He laughed and walked away. If Daryl had been carrying at that moment he was pretty sure he could have shot the guy right in the back and not even blinked.

Carol hadn't locked the door on their way out so Ed didn't have to bother with unlocking it. He followed the man inside, shoving his shaking hands into his pockets. He wanted to hit him. He wanted to beat him into a bloody moaning pulp right there in the entrance way but he breathed through his anger.

"Carol!" Ed roared before Daryl could even ask where the phone was. "You got a lot of explaining to do!"

Daryl chuckled silently at Ed's stiff posture. The man was outraged. "Hey, where's that phone?" He asked, just to get under the man's skin a little.

Ed pointed towards the kitchen and then stormed ahead of him. He was red faced and breathing heavily once he made his rounds through the house. Daryl went to grab the phone to make his fake call but it started ringing before he could even make a grab for it. Ed came in, his face blazing, sweat dotting his forehead. He looked close to having a damn stroke and all Daryl could do was hope that he got to watch it happen.

"Everything okay?" Daryl asked with a smile. The image of Carol's face this morning before he left for work came to mind, the affectionate smile on her face as she stood in the doorway as he got into his truck. He bet Ed was never graced with that smile. That smile was all Daryl's now. Her laughter, that belonged to him to and he knew it was another thing Ed probably had never witnessed. He blinked as these thoughts tumbled around dangerously. He tried to shake them but they stuck.

Ed shook his head and grabbed the phone. He was holding it in his hand so tightly that Daryl was sure he could hear the plastic cracking. Before he put it to his ear he looked at the number. Without answering Daryl's innocent question he answered the phone. "Phillip." He growled by way of greeting.

Ed turned his back to Daryl, the phone pressed against his ear hard. "What the hell do you mean some man?" He barked. He was silent for a few moments and then he ran a hand through his short cropped hair, he was breathing like a bull, making a strange unhinged sound as he exhaled. "Did you ask him who the hell the man was? That ugly bitch don't have friends, no family. Who the hell could she have taken off with. Fuck, who would have her?"

Daryl forced himself to breath through the anger once more.

"Leave me?" Ed barked out a laugh. "She wouldn't leave me! I'm all she has for Christ's sake. No, she can't be far. I'll hunt her down. She's left before."

Daryl was done. He had seen Ed get the surprise of his life and he didn't need to see anymore. He couldn't stand to hear it. There were too many ways for him to kill the man in the kitchen and he needed to leave before he smashed Ed's face off of the counter and didn't stop until there was no way he would ever put his hands on Carol again. Break his face to the point where her name wouldn't ever pass his lips.

He left out the front door, leaving Ed in the house to rage over how pissed off he was that the woman he beat on had left him. He thought it would make him feel better to get to see Ed realize he'd lost her. But it didn't. It wasn't losing _her_ that had him upset. Not really. It was the control that Ed hadn't been able to stand losing. He had thought he had her in a position that leaving wasn't an option, and he had for a long time. He'd never suspected she would ever really go through with leaving, no matter how badly he treated her.

He was still glad he'd seen it. That house had felt cold from the moment he walked in the door the very first time. It felt even colder today and it had nothing to do with the temperatures of the cold winter day.

Daryl's house was warm. It was warm because that was where she was and even though he had no intentions what so ever to turn their relationship into anything that was more than what it was, he was going to make sure she had no doubt in her mind that she was fucking important. She was an amazing caring goddamn person that was worth so much more than what life had so far handed her. He was trying to make her see these things but he was going to try a whole lot harder now. He knew what abuse like that could do to a person. Maybe he'd never be able to undo the damage done to her. But he'd fucking die trying if he had to.

~H~

Carol held on to the ladder with all her might and waited until the sneezing fit passed. She had covered the living room furniture in sheets she had found in the basement and dragged in an unruly six foot tall folding ladder from one of the sheds. There was quite a bit of dust built up on the ceiling fan blades and the glass fixtures that covered the bulbs were grimy and needed washed. She had already tackled the kitchen, the dining room and the downstairs bathroom.

Her back was aching and her arms hurt and she was a complete filthy mess but she couldn't stop smiling. She changed out all of the light bulbs in the overhead light and screwed the now sparkling glass fixtures back in. After that she scooted all of the furniture off of the rug and was about to run the vacuum over it when the phone rang.

Instantly she stiffened, her heart leaping into her throat and the smile quickly vanished from her lips. And then she remembered that it wasn't Ed calling. She hurried to the phone and answered it breathlessly. "Hello?"

"How're things goin'?" Daryl's voice sounded in her ear.

She smiled, her stomach doing a strange little flip and her chest fluttered with an odd sensation. "Hi! It's going good. I've gotten a lot done."

"That's good," he said sounding a little distracted.

She knew that he hadn't called just for small talk. "Do you need me to do anything? Is that why you called?" She asked.

He was quiet for a few beats but then he cleared his throat. "Nah, I was just touchin' base. Makin' sure you hadn't burned the house down or anything since I left."

She smiled. "Not a chance. You know, calling for no reason like this might give me the impression that you miss me, Daryl Dixon." She wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes at herself. She was such a dork.

He laughed. "Yeah well, you're growin' on me, woman. What can I say?"

She bit her lip, that strange feeling intensifying. "I'm glad you called. It's a little lonely, even though I'm busy. So I guess I miss you too."

"That don't surprise me. You're weird like that," he deadpanned but she could hear the smile in his voice. "Look, my break is about over so I gotta go."

She sighed. "Okay. Be careful out there."

"Will do," he said, sounding troubled again. "Hey, Carol?"

"Yes?"

"You watch yourself, okay? Keep that gun close and make sure everything's locked up tight, alright."

She frowned but nodded. "I will. Bye Daryl."

"See ya," he said and then he hung up.

She was halfway to the vacuum when the phone sounded again. She grinned, hoping he had forgotten to tell her something and she was about to get to talk to him again. What in the world was that all about anyway?

"Hello?" She frowned when she heard a computerized voice ask her if she would like to accept a collect call from the prison. She wasn't sure what Daryl would want her to do but she certainly didn't want to get off on the wrong foot with his older brother, since she would eventually be living with him. She pressed one to accept the call and then waited, shifting from one foot to the other nervously.

"Didn't expect you're overworked ass to be home, baby brother. Did you finally tell your boss that he can shove that job right up his brown eye?"

"Umm... This isn't Daryl," Carol said, wishing she had just let Daryl handle this.

"What the fuck? Did I dial the wrong number? I must have cause I know my little brother ain't got himself a woman at the house." Merle chuckled.

"No, it's the right number and I guess he does have a woman at the house. It's not what you think," she added quickly. "I live here." She winced at her choice of words. "I mean, in my own room, not his. It's all a long story really."

Merle didn't say anything for a few long moments and Carol was ready to wring her hands. She was handling this all wrong. She knew just by the way Daryl talked about his brother that he was a different breed of man. But he had assured her more than once that regardless of what kind of man he was, she didn't really have to worry about it.

"Darlin', you do know that the house is only a one bedroom, dont'cha?" He asked, sounding like he was pretty sure she was some sort of moron.

"Well, see, I think you should talk to your brother about all this. I shouldn't have even answered. He's working double shifts all week long so you may not be able to talk to him until the weekend."

"Right," Merle drawled. "I do believe me and him need to have ourselves a long chat."

She winced again, this time at the sound of his tone. She had probably just caused a huge mess for Daryl to deal with. She should have just let the phone ring. It wasn't likely that anyone would call her here since only Hershel and Annette knew her whereabouts but she'd thought it was Daryl calling back. Well, and now Tara and Glenn and someone named Maggie who wore her clothes too tight new she lived here too but none of them would have called her. "Well, I hope we get to meet soon. I've heard a lot about you."

He chuckled. "I bet you have. You make sure you tell the boy I called, would ya? And, uh, make sure you're gentle with him, sweetheart. He's a bit out of practice." He hung up and she was left standing there holding the phone in her hands.

"Oh boy," she muttered out loud. She was worried now. Daryl would probably be mad that she had talked to his brother. Surely he had wanted to explain things to his brother himself. It wasn't that she was afraid that Daryl would do anything extreme, but she still didn't want to cause him any undo stress. He deserved better than that. But there was nothing she could do about any of it now. She would just have to give him a heads up before he talked to Merle himself and hoped that she hadn't caused too many problems. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

To keep her mind occupied she delved back into her work, focusing on getting things as clean as she could. Tomorrow was another huge step for her. She was finally going to be able to start her job and really get this new life of hers on track. She wasn't very nervous about starting since she knew that Hershel wouldn't give her too hard of a time. She was looking forward to working with the man and getting to know him better. Things were going to be just fine. Everything was looking up and she wouldn't let her botched conversation with Merle ruin it for her.

By the time she was done with everything it had been dark outside for a long time. She ate her dinner in front of the television with her bare feet propped up on the coffee table. She felt good about what she had accomplished today but she kept glancing at the clock, wishing that Daryl were home. It was lonely without him and it was strange that she was wishing he would end up coming home early instead of hoping he had to work later. She'd never wanted Ed to come home early. She wasn't used to missing someone like this.

"That's because Ed is nothing but a bastard," she muttered to herself. She fixed Daryl a plate just like she said she would and then cleaned up the meager mess she had made in the kitchen before returning to the living room and collapsing on the couch, trying to will herself to stay awake at least until he came home so she could see him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello! Hope all is well. I forgot that a guest reviewer asked how many chapters this story was and I forgot to answer them yesterday. This one is 43 chapters so we haven't hit the halfway mark just yet. Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

He was happy that he had the chance to leave a few hours early. He was eager to get back to the house. All he kept thinking about the whole damn day had been the slightly unhinged look in Ed's eyes when he had found out that Carol was gone. It made him nervous, even though he knew that Ed had no way of finding out where she was. Not yet. And even if he did she had the gun and if she needed to she could protect herself with it. She wasn't the greatest shot in the world but she wouldn't have to be if he was right there on her.

Actually having to hear that son of a bitch talk about her today had made him sick to his stomach. It made him murderous, was what it made him. He'd always had a hair trigger temper but he had never felt the need to actually physically end a life the way he had today. He had wanted to grab Ed up by the throat and watch as the life left his eyes. It wasn't something he wanted to feel. He wasn't his brother, after all. He wasn't his father.

So the drive home felt like it took longer, even though he was closer to work now. Not that he'd admit it, even to himself, but he was eager to get the hell to the house so he could see her. He wanted to make sure she was alright. He'd actually missed her today. When he finally pulled onto the driveway he was ready to floor it the rest of the way. Which was stupid, since she hadn't had shit for sleep since he'd taken her from her house and she had likely been in bed for a long time. But it would still feel good to be home. Now that he actually had a home that he wanted to be.

She had left the porch light on for him and it looked like a lamp was burning in the living room. He was used to coming home to a dark house so this was a nice change for sure. He was quiet as he unlocked the door and stepped inside. The television was on and the small lamp on the table by the door but other than that the house was silent and the room seemed empty. He realized right away that she had been busy. Really fucking busy. Even in the soft glow of the table lamp he could see that every surface of the room had been scrubbed until it was gleaming and it smelled clean. He sighed and walked further into the room, ready to heat up that plate she had insisted on making him.

He glanced down as he walked past the couch and stopped. There she was, curled up into the corner of the couch, sleeping heavily with her knees pulled up to her chest and her hands under her chin. For a second he thought about leaving her alone but he didn't want her to sleep on the couch all night. He leaned over the back and shook her knee but she didn't even budge.

"Carol," he said as he shook her knee again.

Suddenly her eyes flew open and she sat up quickly. She looked terrified until she finally noticed him standing there. When her eyes locked onto his all the fear went away and she smiled. "You're home!"

He nodded. "Yeah. That kinda thing happens when a man gets off work."

She got up quickly, a look of horror coming over her face as she looked down at her clothes. The same ones she had worn the night before. Her hands flew to her hair and he could see her cheeks redden. "Oh my God. I fell asleep!"

His brows rose at her dismay. "You worked your ass off today. Course you fell asleep."

"I look like crap!"

His eyes swept over her and he shook his head unable to hide the smile. "No you don't."

"I probably stink. I haven't even taken a shower today," she grumbled as she walked off towards the kitchen. She turned on the light and went straight to the refrigerator, pulling out a plate covered in foil.

"You don't stink," he muttered, taking the plate from her and tossing the foil in the trash. He turned the microwave on and leaned against the counter. Yeah, he had definitely missed this. He looked her over. She had a few dust bunnies in her hair and there was a smudge on her cheek. He kept his laugh at bay.

"How do you know? You haven't smelled me," she countered with a frown.

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Women are crazy. And the place looks damn good, by the way. You really busted your ass. I didn't even realize it needed cleanin'."

She smiled at that and then her brows pulled together into a frown and her hands went to her lower back. The microwave dinged but his hunger was forgotten.

"Back hurt?" He asked, watching her eyes closely.

She nodded. "Just a little. One too many trips down the stairs over the last few years I guess. It'll go away eventually. I have pain pills but I don't like taking them unless I have to."

He breathed through the flash of anger that he felt. "Good thing _our_ stairs here have better traction, huh?" He asked instead of going on a cussing rant about Ed.

She laughed, the sound causing his chest to tighten for some strange reason. He didn't know why but suddenly Ed's angry words replayed in his mind and so did his own quiet vow to try to make her see herself as someone worthy of good things.

"Here," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her closer to the counter. "Turn around."

She gave him a questioning look but didn't argue. He steeled himself and then his hands went to her waist, his thumbs rubbing circles into the tense muscles at the small of her back. "Oh my God," she groaned and then her elbows hit the counter as she leaned forward, giving him better access to the sore spots.

He started thinking about road kill. About car wrecks. Vomit. Unflushed public toilets. The dead rotten iguana he'd found under Merle's bed when he was a kid. World hunger. Baseball. He even forced himself to think about the time some bar whore nearly attacked him, trying to kiss him right there at the bar. She'd smelled like cigarettes and fish and he'd damn near gagged before he had managed to shove her off of him. Merle had gotten a real kick out of it. He needed to think about anything other than those small sounds of pleasure she was making and the fact that he had her half bent over the kitchen counter. He averted his eyes from the feminine flare of her hips. He tried hard to stop thinking about all of it but it was damn impossible.

"Daryl, you don't have to do that. It's so tight it would take you hours to work it all out."

Oh man, of all the fucked up things that could have came out of her mouth at that moment, it had to be that? "Stop talkin' Carol." His voice was strained.

"Fine then. Don't stop until I'm a puddle on the floor because I don't think I've ever felt anything this good in my life."

Oh God, if she only fucking knew. There were a lot of things better than this. A _lot_ of things.

"Can you do it harder right there?" She asked.

Did she know what she was doing? Surely not. She wasn't this bold and the fact that she didn't know only made it worse. Everything that came out of her mouth was twisted into something filthy but how the hell could he help it?

"You shouldn't have to come home from a double shift and then rub my back, Daryl. I feel bad. I could do you next if you want. Not that I'd be half as good at it."

"I don't mind. I mostly sat in a truck, you're the one doin' all the manual labor." There was no way in hell he'd be able to stand there while she touched him.

She groaned softly. "How was your day?" She asked. Finally she asked something that brought his mind at least half way out of the gutter.

"People got stuck and I unstuck them. Just another day I guess," he answered, trying to make his voice sound less strained. He thought about bringing up the fact that he had seen Ed, had actually given him a lift to the man's house and saw his reaction to her not being there. But he didn't. She thought about those things enough and he wasn't ready to see that look in her eyes that he hated.

"I did something today that might make you mad," she said softly.

He moved his hands back down to her lower back, eliciting another pleasured sound from her. "I doubt the hell outta that," he groaned when she whimpered.

"I accepted a call from your brother. I wasn't sure what else to do. I didn't want to just decline it and then he think you didn't want to talk to him or anything. I'm so sorry. Oh God, right there," she nearly whined.

He switched from his thumbs to the heels of his hands, putting more pressure on the area that seemed to bother her the most. "So you talked to Merle?" He asked, keeping the worry out of his voice.

She nodded. "I did. You aren't mad about it?"

"No." And it was the truth. He wasn't mad, just concerned. He wasn't sure how Merle was going to react to her being around and he wasn't sure how he was going to take the news that he had moved out of the house. "Does he know about you? You living here I mean?"

She shook her head and, to his dismay, leaned further into the counter, putting more of that incredibly perfect fucking ass on display. Jesus, he had to stop this. "He knows I'm living with you but I didn't tell him about this place. I wasn't sure what to tell him at all. I was rambling like a complete idiot. He probably thinks I'm addled in the brain. Harder please... You have no idea how good this feels, I swear."

He would worry about Merle later. Right now he had to worry about himself because she was eventually going to turn around and even talk of his incarcerated brother wasn't doing anything about the obvious bulge now straining against his pants, mere inches away from her ass. Damn it, why had he thought this was a good idea? He should have known not to touch her. "It ain't your fault. He was gonna find out eventually anyway. Hey, just leave that plate in there. I think I'm gonna jump in the shower before I eat anything." He wanted to eat something all right. God, did he want to eat something...

"Sure," she said, straightening up slowly, bracing her hands on the counter and arching her back. He was already heading towards the doorway by the time she could turn around.

He glanced over his shoulder, not daring to turn around fully. "You feel better?"

She smiled, her eyes soft as they met his. "Yes, much. You can do amazing things with your hands."

He made a beeline for the stairs at that. He felt bad for doing what he did next but he had to do something or it was never going to go away. He found release quickly, her words, though innocent, running through his mind. He felt like some kind of sick pervert for letting himself get that carried away. But there was little to be done about it now. When he came back downstairs, much more in control of himself, she was sitting at the table.

"Hot enough for you?" She asked, resting her hand on her chin and raising one eyebrow at him.

His eyes went wide and he nearly dropped his fork. "What?"

"The shower. You look all flushed."

"Oh. Yeah. It was hot. Really fuckin' hot," he said sarcastically. Because jerking off in the damn shower because you couldn't handle rubbing some knots out of a woman's back was just hot as hell. Then again, he was able to think a little more clearly when he had finished himself off. He needed to tell her what had happened. "So, I got a call this mornin' and it just so happened to be Ed and his friend on their way back from Atlanta. They hit some black ice and hit a pole." He watched her closely.

She tensed but she kept her eyes on his. "What happened?"

He sighed. "He'd been trying to call you the whole time he was gone. He was pissed and neither one of them had a ride so I offered."

She grimaced. "Why would you do that?" She sounded genuinely hurt.

"Because I wanted to see the look on his face when he found out that you weren't in that house. I wanted to watch him when he realized that you weren't there. So I did. His friend Philip called while I was there. They must have had other people watchin' the house cause Philip told him that you left with another man."

She made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat and shook her head angrily. This hadn't been the reaction that he had expected. He had expected the fear she wore like a cloak to rear it's ugly head or at least a few tears. Instead she took in a shaky breath, her eyes darkening. "I want to go to the courthouse tomorrow and I want to file for divorce."

He nodded in agreement. "Hershel or Annette would be more than happy to take you. And while you're out, do me a favor."

"Name it."

"Go to the police station and get yourself a restraining order against him. They'll serve him the papers. And you keep that gun on you any time you're alone. When you're in the shower you keep the fucking thing on the side of the tub. He's gonna try something. He was pissed."

"I'll do that," she said, standing up and stretching. Despite the seriousness of the conversation his eyes landed on the strip of pale skin above the low slung waistband of her pajamas. "I think I need to go to bed. I'm so tired I don't even care if I stink," she muttered as she went to walk past him. He heard her stop once she was behind him and then he jumped in surprise when her arms went around his neck from behind. Her lips brushed his cheek. "You know, if it wasn't for you, I hate to think what would be happening to me right now. I owe you a lot, Daryl," she said in a low voice, her breath blowing across his neck.

"You don't owe me shit," he muttered.

She pulled away, giving his shoulder a squeeze before she walked away. "I owe you everything," she said before she was gone.

He sat there for a few long moments before he finished eating. He wanted to tell her that he had needed her just as much as she had needed him but he hadn't been able to say it. He cleaned up and headed up the stairs, pausing outside of her closed bedroom door before going to his own.


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry this is late! It's raining so my net is acting up again! Hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Seventeen**

The next two weeks seemed to fly by. She had impressed Hershel, remembering everything that she had studied so hard for in college. He thought it was a shame that she hadn't kept her license updated. According to him, she would have made an incredible veterinarian. Considering he had been in that profession for almost forty years, that was quite the compliment. He was an excellent Doctor and she admired the hell out of him. She split her time between keeping his books and assisting him on emergencies, which happened more often than not in a farming community like this one.

Her and Daryl had fallen into a comfortable routine. Well, it would be a lot more comfortable after today since he had given up all of his extra shifts. At first she had been flattered because she thought maybe he had done it so the two of them could hang out more, but he told her that with both of them bringing in money he simply didn't have to work so much. Either way, she was thrilled he would be home more. She missed him horribly, which didn't make a whole lot of sense but nothing seemed to now days so she just went with it.

She was still embarrassed about what had happened the night before. She had gone to bed before he had come home. She had had a horrible nightmare that Ed had found her and had locked her in her bedroom with him. He had been about to do something horrifying when suddenly, she was being shaken awake.

Daryl had heard her from across the hall and had thought that there was actually someone attacking her. When she woke up and had realized it was him she had thrown herself at him, much like she had that day in the truck, and sobbed like some broken animal. It had been humiliating because for those few weeks she had felt so strong and so accomplished and then one stupid nightmare had brought it all back, like a dark wave crushing her. And then Daryl had ordered her to lay down and go back to sleep. She had instantly thought that she had crossed a line and had pulled away from him, despite how much she wanted him there. But he hadn't stormed off to his room. To her astonishment, he had crawled right under the blanket with her.

At first she had been stunned, but when he pulled her closer she had taken everything he was willing to offer her. Which happened to be a shoulder to cry on, literally. She had used him. She had clung to him like he was a stone and she was nothing but debris that would get blown away if he let her go. But he hadn't let her go. She had finally cried herself out while he held her. He didn't try anything, even though he was right there in her bed. He had simply been there for her when she needed him to be. When she had woken up he was still asleep but he had not let go of her. And when she did managed to wake him up things hadn't been awkward between them. It was just another morning.

Well, that wasn't exactly true at all. She _felt_ awkward. She didn't want him to think that she was just as weak as she had been the day he had walked her out of Ed's house. Because, really, she wasn't. She had grown by leaps and bounds. She was a different woman already and every day she felt a little stronger. A little more sure of herself. But that one dream had taken her back and the feelings of helplessness that the dream had evoked in her had been too much. It made her realize that what she had here was balanced on such a narrow ledge. One wrong move on her part could send her right back to that house. That was how she had felt the night before anyway.

But today was a different day. A new day. The sun was shining and Hershel had handed her her very first paycheck. She actually had money of her own. He had also informed her that he had only worked her last weekend to get her good and familiar with the job, but now she was off when Daryl was off.

And she had something else too. It wasn't much but it was hers. A brand new, to her, used Jeep and she had just made her first payment on it. She was mobile. She was free. If she wanted to get in the Jeep and drive all the way across the country, she could because she had her own means of transportation. And Daryl didn't even know about it yet.

When she had gone to the police station to file the restraining order, she had talked to two of the cops for a long time, even once the paperwork was all filed and she was handed her copy. They were nice men and had talked to her about places she could go if she found herself in a position where she felt like she had no choice but to go back to Ed. They explained to her what she should do if she found him following her on the road while she was out alone. They were extremely kind and seemed genuinely concerned for her.

That was when she had informed them that she was never alone because the only vehicle had belonged to Ed. That was when one of the officers had given her an add for a Jeep for sale. When she had gotten home later that day and called, it was actually the officer that had given her the add that was selling the Jeep. Apparently if he had been caught trying to sell his car to someone that came in to file a simple restraining order he would have gotten in trouble. For some reason she found that hilarious. But he had agreed to take payments on it until it was paid in full and reminded her that if she needed anything at all to call him or his partner. And today she was able to give him her first payment and now everything was legit. Carol Peletier had a beautiful home, a job that she loved, the best friend in the universe and now, her very own set of wheels. She felt incredibly good about herself, despite the dream she'd had.

When she pulled up to the house she was surprised to see that Daryl was already home. They hadn't had a chance to spend any time together and she hated it. She cut the engine and jumped out, hurrying to the house, eager to tell him what she had done. He was opening the door just as she was reaching for the knob.

He looked past her at the Jeep and then met her eyes. "Who the hell's Jeep is that?"

She grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling him down the steps. "Mine," she said casually.

"You make enough to run out and buy a car with your first paycheck? Why the fuck am I even workin'. You can handle the bills on your own."

She laughed. "I just made the first payment. One of the police officers that filed my request for a restraining order sold it to me. I am officially completely self reliant and it only took me twenty seven years."

"Did you get it checked out before you gave him any money for it?" He asked, raising the hood.

She frowned, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. "Well, no. He said it runs great, though."

He eyed the engine and then snorted. "How many miles it got on it?"

"Huh?" She felt her frown deepen. He was ruining her buzz.

He sighed and closed the hood. "You never buy a car without getting it checked out first. Did you ask him anything about it at all?"

She bit her lip. "I asked him if it ran. Does that count?"

"Not really," he chuckled and threw an arm over her shoulders. "You shoulda called me. If this beater breaks down on you in a week, don't come cryin' to me."

She was scowling by the time they walked through the door. "You're like a dark cloud of doom, Daryl Dixon. He was a police officer. He wouldn't lie to me about it."

He seemed to be taking great joy in the situation. "Oh God. You have so much to learn that I don't think I got enough time left livin' to teach you."

She ducked out from under his arm and headed for the stairs. "Shut up," she muttered, ready to get the day's grime washed off of her. "And I'm glad you're dumb double shifts are over," she called over her shoulder. "I've missed you. I've missed you like crazy." She slammed the bathroom door behind her.

~H~

Daryl couldn't help but head right back outside when he heard the shower start. He was happy for her for finally getting her own wheels but damn if she hadn't gone about it the wrong way. She was too damn trusting for her own good. If she wasn't careful she'd get screwed over by anyone she came into contact with. After everything she had been through he thought she would be a little bit more leery of people.

He winced when he remembered what had happened last night. She had screamed and he had nearly had a fucking heart attack and then almost broke his neck to get to her room. She was fighting something fierce and when he realized that it was actually a nightmare he had stood there in disbelief. What the hell was in her head that would cause her to fight that hard? Finally he had snapped out of it when it didn't seem as though her own screams were going to wake her up. He'd shaken the hell out of her, first saying and then finally yelling her name before her eyes had finally snapped open. That look in her eyes had actually scared the hell out of him. They were almost vacant and then she had looked at him. Really looked at him. And that was when the waterworks started. She almost knocked him right off the damn bed when she threw herself at him.

He hadn't known what to do for her. Really there wasn't anything he could have done. Whatever demons she was battling, she had to battle them on her own. But he hadn't been able to leave her there. Not after all of that. Not with the way she had been clinging to him like he was the only person in the whole goddamn fucked up world that could make anything better for her. It was a heavy load for a man like him to have on his shoulders because he knew that in her mind, at the moment, he really was the only person that could make it better. So he had done all he could do, and that was just stay with her. Maybe it wouldn't keep the nightmare at bay but at least if it happened again, he'd be there to wake her up before it got too bad.

That was all he had been thinking when he had laid there with her. She hadn't said a word either. She didn't give him any of the gory details about what had happened and he was thankful for it. She kept her grip on him, her face burrowed into his chest and he had kept her close, not saying a word, his arms banded around her, anchoring her to him. He had woken up several times after that, finding her asleep with her forehead pressed against his and her arm still wrapped tightly around him. He could have slipped away then and she would have probably been okay. Fat chance of that happening, though. That morning before they had left for work he had pretended that nothing had happened at all. That was usually the Dixon way of dealing with overly emotional situations. Pretend like they didn't happen.

She yelled from the doorway, startling him out of his reverie.

He raised up too quick and bashed the top of his head on the hood. "Damn it," he hissed, rubbing the spot. When he turned she was grinning, like him hitting his damn head was the funniest thing in the world.

She motioned for him to come inside so he slammed the hood and stormed up the steps. Still rubbing the top of his head.

"What?" He grumbled, hands on his hips, his head still stinging.

"Don't be a grump, let me see," she said as she grabbed the sides of his face and tilted his head down so she could investigate his injuries. "Aww, poor baby. It isn't even bleeding." He pulled away when her lips pressed against the spot. She laughed and walked back inside, pulling him along by the hand.

He couldn't help but glance down as she walked in front of him. She was much more bold in the way she dressed and today was no exception. And it wasn't even something she did on purpose, he could tell. But it was distracting. Today, instead of one of the form fitting t-shirts and baggy pajama bottoms, she was wearing a baggy shirt. Unfortunately for him she had paired it with a pair of yoga pants that left very little to the imagination. The woman should have painted "stare at me" right across her ass. With a sigh he brought his eyes back up.

"Do you want to know a secret about me that no one else knows?" she tossed the question over her shoulder with a smile as she dragged him to the kitchen.

"Let me guess. You've never bought a used car before?" He asked dryly.

"I've never drank alcohol," she said, turning to face him. "And shut it about the car. How was I suppose to know?"

"You've never gotten drunk?" He laughed.

She shook her head, ignoring the fact that he was laughing at her. "Never. I've never felt the urge."

"Not even when you were a teenager?" He asked skeptically, unable to believe that she had never even tried it.

"Never. I was too busy doing other things," she said haughtily.

"Like?" He raised a brow.

"Well, like doing my homework and preparing to graduate with honors so my mom and dad wouldn't have to pay an arm and a leg for college. I had a full scholarship."

"You were lame," he said as he crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. "And you still are if you dragged me all the way in here to tell me that."

She wrinkled her nose. "Stop picking on me. I wanted to show you what I bought." Her eyes sparkled as she grinned. She pulled a bottle out of the freezer and held it up, looking extremely pleased with herself.

His eyes went wide and he shook his head in disbelief. She really did have a whole lot to learn. "So, you're tellin' me that you've never been drunk and you've decided to give it a try?" He took the bottle from her hand and held it up, studying it carefully.

"Yeah."

"And you decided that the best way to break yourself in would be with a half gallon of Wild Turkey?"

"Well, it was kind of expensive and you don't strike me as a wine type of guy. This had you written all over it," she said with a frown. "Should I have gotten something else?"

He nodded sagely. "Yeah, probably. Like a four pack of wine coolers."

She scoffed. "I can handle it. Besides, if I can't then you'll be here to take care of me."

"I'm not drinkin'," he said quickly.

"What? It won't kill you to drink with me. We're celebrating!"

He didn't have a problem with drinking in general. He enjoyed it every now and then. What he had a problem with was drinking with _her_. Every dirty one night stand he'd ever had he'd had while drunk. He prided himself on his self control. Especially where she was concerned, but he wasn't about to test himself while all his inhibitions were tossed right out the window. There friendship was balanced on a very thin, very unorthodox line. Their relationship was a strange one but it worked for them. He wasn't about to mess that all up by doing something stupid because he'd decided to drink with her. She meant way to much to him for that to happen. "Celebrating?"

"Tomorrow will be two full weeks since we hung out. I think that's reason enough for celebration. In just two weeks I left my husband, got a job, filed for divorce, bought a car, moved in with a man I barely know, slept with him twice, and it's cause to celebrate. I've done more living these last few weeks than I have my whole life."

He stared at her with wide eyes. "We can save it. If you're gonna drink then you need to ease into it."

She made a face and took the bottle back. "Fine."

"And you don't put whiskey in the freezer. Put it in the cabinet," he said as he turned to walk away. He was relieved that she didn't put up much of a fight. The last thing he needed was to fuck this up. This whole crazy ass situation was probably the best damn thing that had ever happened to him.

The phone rang right as he walked by it and he expected it to be Merle. He didn't even glance at the caller ID before he answered, fully prepared to accept the collect call from his brother. But it wasn't Merle calling.

"Is this Dixon? Daryl Dixon?" A man's angry voice sounded on the other end of the phone.

Daryl's eyes went to the kitchen where Carol was reaching up on the tips of her toes to get the bottle on the top shelf of the cabinet. "Yeah, who the hell's askin'?"

"You need to do yourself a favor and put my bitch wife on the phone. Now."


	18. Chapter 18

**My apologies for the cliffhanger yesterday! lol I swear I wouldn't do it so often if this wasn't a daily updated story! This ended up being longer than I intended but that's just how chapter go sometimes. Some people are idiots on Fridays so be safe out there! Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Eighteen**

Daryl kept his eyes on Carol. The only thing that was keeping him from going off in a mad rage was knowing that this phone call, if she knew about it, could very well undo all the progress she had made. She was better, damn it! He couldn't let her slip back. He _wouldn't_ let her slip back. Last night had been some random thing and she was already okay because she was stronger but what would this phone call do to her? His hand started shaking.

"Did you hear what I said?" Ed hissed.

Daryl cleared his throat. "Yeah, that shit ain't gonna fly, asshole," he growled.

"You listen to me you son of a bitch, if she thinks some piece of paper is gonna keep me away she's dumber than I always thought. If she comes home now then it won't be too bad but you force me to hunt her down and I swear to God I'll do things to her that would make you cringe."

Carol turned then, smiling at him as she made her way towards him. She was still too far away to hear him but she was close enough to see his face clearly. As soon as she met his eyes her smile fell and her brows pulled together in worry.

"Nah, that ain't how this is gonna play out. You stay the fuck away from her and I _might_ let your ass live. You're lucky I'm still lettin' you breathe as it is."

"Who is that?" Carol asked as she stepped into the room.

Ed made a disgusted sound in his ear. "You really think she's worth the trouble? You're as stupid as she is. The woman is a worthless-"

Daryl pulled the cord out of the wall and slammed the phone down so hard it broke apart in his hand. He had tried to keep the lid on his temper but it didn't work. Carol took a few steps away from him, her eyes wide from either fear or shock at his outburst.

"Daryl?" Her voice was meek and he hated it.

"Don't worry about it," he growled, stepping around her he headed for the front door. He needed some air. He needed a minute to get himself under control but he heard her following after him. In the back of his mind he registered that this was a good thing, if only because it meant that she wasn't afraid of him even though he was pissed and she knew it.

"Was it your brother? Is he mad about me being here?" She asked worriedly. "We can work it out. I'm sure once he gets to know me-"

"It wasn't Merle," he said, turning sharply and causing her to run right into him. He steadied her but she jerked away from him.

Somehow she knew who had been on the phone. "He called here? How?" She asked, her eyes flicking from Daryl to the door like she felt like she needed to bolt.

He stood still, watching her carefully. "I don't know. We called each other a few times. It could have showed up on a bill or anything."

She glanced around again and he couldn't handle it anymore. He gripped her upper arms gently. "He won't come here. If he does, I'll take care of it," he said firmly.

She shook her head. "I can't expect you to do that, and I don't. You didn't ask for any of this stupid drama."

"The hell I didn't," he shot back angrily. "I'm the whole fucking reason you left at all, remember? And if it's your problem, it's my problem, whether you want it to be or not. I did this. You just went along with it."

She held his gaze for a long time before her hands came up, gripping his waist. "Why couldn't I have met and married you back then instead of Ed?" She whispered, her tone desperate. Her eyes grew wide and he was pretty sure his did too. "I didn't mean to say that." She flushed.

He swallowed hard and then forced himself to shrug. "It woulda never worked. I'm more of a live in sin type of guy. I don't believe in none of that marriage bullshit."

The ghost of a smile had her lips turning up. "I don't want you to have to deal with this. Your life wasn't complicated until I came along. I know how... weird all this is."

He nodded and dropped his hands from her arms. "Yeah. I guess it's weird to anybody on the outside." He shrugged. "It ain't too weird to me."

"Last night wasn't weird to you?" She asked. "You stayed in there the whole night and you didn't have to. I'd never ask you to do that."

"You needed somebody there," he muttered.

She shook her head. "I didn't need somebody there, Daryl. I needed _you_. Nobody's ever been so good to me, even before Ed. I don't understand why. I ask myself over and over and I can't figure it out. Why do you do what you do for me? And don't say that it's because you needed help with the bills. It's more than that and I want to know what it is."

He shook his head. This conversation was slipping into dangerous territory. "Everybody needs somebody," he said in a low voice.

"And if I dreamed about Ed again tonight, would you come?" She asked, searching his eyes.

He nodded because that was all he was willing to give her. He wanted to change the subject. He didn't want to talk about this.

"You would come to my room in the middle of the night and sleep in my bed knowing that... knowing that I don't have a damn thing to offer you. Because I really don't, you know? I can't... I don't think I could ever..."

"It ain't about that," he managed, knowing what she was telling him. She'd been used and she'd been hurt and humiliated and she'd never want to be in a situation where she was that vulnerable with a man again. He knew this and he understood it and accepted it because he had no choice. But to hear her say it had a sadness welling up in his chest that he didn't understand.

"And you don't think that is just a little bit insane? You don't think that that makes me the most screwed up person in the world?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't."

Now her smile was warm and he had to look away from it. "You don't have to try to make me feel better about it. But what do I do if he comes here? What happens if you're gone or at work and he shows up? I can't fight him. I used to try, believe me and that just made things a whole lot worse. You can be here at night to keep the nightmares away but you can't be with me all the time."

"Shoot him," he deadpanned. "You blow his fuckin' head off cause if he does get his hands on you, it's gonna get ugly. Real ugly. He's pissed." Now this, he could talk about.

"Can I do that?" She asked, her fingers flexing into the muscles at his side.

He nodded. "It's the only thing you can do."

Her forehead landed on his shoulder. "This was suppose to be a good day," she muttered sadly.

"If you don't want it to be fucked up then don't let him fuck it up," he said, closing his eyes for the briefest of moments and letting his hand go to the back of her head for just a few seconds before he pushed her back a little. He could handle touching her in small doses. Last night was an exception. "It can still be a good day. What the fuck do you wanna do? We can do it."

Her eyes lit up. "Anything I want?"

He nodded, needing to get her mind off Ed, even if he had to do something he didn't want to do. "Just no drinkin'."

~H~

She refused to stress herself out over the phone call. She was sure it would cause another nightmare and she was dreading that part of the night but she wasn't going to let him ruin this. It was Friday and neither of them had to work in the morning. She had managed to get a lot done this week. She wanted to relax and enjoy the rest of the day.

"Ain't you suppose to be into girly movies or some shit? All this is horror stuff," he said as he went through the movies she had picked out.

She sat the pizza box down on the coffee table and shrugged. "I've never seen them and being scared is fun."

He rolled his eyes.

"You said we could do anything I wanted. You refuse to get drunk with me so this is it. Unless you've changed your mind."

He grabbed a movie at random and put it in the DVD player, grumbling. For some reason he was dead set on not drinking. Maybe he was a recovering alcoholic or something. If so then she would be devastated for trying to coerce him into getting drunk. She should have thought of that but then again, how could she know if he was? She decided to stop fretting over it.

"So you don't like scary movies?" She asked lightly, opening the box and offering him a slice.

He shrugged and sat down on the couch. "Don't matter to me what we watch."

"Of course not," she rolled her eyes and left him there to sulk in the living room as she turned off all the lights in the house. When she returned she settled down next to him and he hit play with the remote. "This isn't very fun to you, huh?" She asked as the previews started playing.

He shrugged. "It ain't _not_ fun."

"What did you do for fun before you met me and I turned your life upside down?" She looked up at him.

He kept his eyes on the screen but the corner of his mouth lifted. "Nothin' at all. Believe it or not, I mostly just kept to myself. The more friends you have the more bullshit you gotta deal with. It ain't worth it."

"So what you're really saying is, I'm the best friend you've ever had and without me your life would be a dismal abyss filled with lonely nights and diner food." She struggled but she managed to keep her voice grave and her face straight. It was actually quite a feat.

He turned his head so he could look directly at her. "Yeah. Without you my life would be full of lonely nights, long pointless days, and so much peace and quiet I just wouldn't know what to do with myself."

She laughed and elbowed him in the ribs. She turned her attention to the movie after that, inching closer and closer to him until he finally sighed and lifted his arm. She grinned and burrowed into his side, pulling her legs up onto the couch and tucking them under her. She refused to let her mind wonder. She focused on the movie instead of his arm behind her back. She paid attention to the story line instead of focusing on the way his fingertips brushed across the skin on her side where her shirt had ridden up in her mad dash to be closer to him. She very well could have enjoyed all of those things but really they just made her sad. Sad because she didn't know how to deal with the way he made her feel. Even though the feeling was good. Very good.

She clamped her hand over her mouth and turned her head into his chest when the music became ominous and the camera panned over to some evil ghost child crawling out of a box. She felt a soft rumble of laughter under her ear. "It isn't funny. Could you imagine seeing something like that?"

"Things like that ain't real," he said, shaking his head. "You're just a chicken."

"You don't know that. Oh my God, you think this place could be haunted? It's old and it's in the middle of the woods. Has anyone ever died here?" She looked up when she felt him tense and the look on his face was far away. She sat up all the way, moving back so she could see him better. "Daryl?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

He shook his head, his whole demeanor changing. "Just watch the movie, Carol. I don't wanna think about it."

She grabbed the remote and paused the movie. "Think about what? About people dying here or something else?" Even she could hear the tremor in her voice. This was such a bad idea. She should have rented a stack of comedies.

He ran a nervous hand through his hair and glanced around the room. "Hershel told me about it when I first came to check the place out."

"Told you what?"

He looked away. "See, one of the reasons that Hershel never put the house on the market was because he knew that nobody would want it. All the locals knew the stories of what happened in this house."

"What happened?"

"Well, the man that built this house back in the eighteen nineties didn't get to live in it very long before he died. He found out that his wife was havin' this affair and he killed her up in the hallway and then he hung himself right out there on the front porch. People say that was only the beginning though. The couple had a son in his twenties and he inherited the place but he didn't wanna live on the property where his folks died. He rented it out to this couple that had these three little girls. One night, the little girls daddy shows up at non other than Hershel Greene's grandads place."

"The Greene farm?" She whispered.

He nodded, his eyes taking on that far away look again. "Yeah. He showed up, covered in blood, screamin' half out of his mind that he'd killed his wife. Once they got him calmed down enough to tell them what happened he said that his wife just went crazy. He said that he knows she killed those little girls because one was shot right in the upstairs hallway and the other... she was hanged right out there on the front porch. He'd found them and knew his wife did it, even though she denied it."

"Just like the man and woman that built it? What about the other little girl?" Carol asked, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"They never found her. Not till years later anyway. See, come to find out, it wasn't the wife that had done those things to her girls. It was their teenage sister. For years she lived right here, in the walls of this house. They say the old man that built the place possessed that little girl and made her do those things. And sometimes, at night, during the right time of year, people have drove up and waited, looking at that window right over there and see that girl lookin' right back out at them."

"Are you serious?" She gasped and glanced around the room, her heart pounding harder.

He nodded and then stood up.

"Where are you going?" She asked standing with him.

"Gotta take a leak."

"Now!" She almost shrieked.

His brows shot up and he shrugged. "Yeah, now."

She watched him head towards the downstairs bathroom and didn't turn around until he shut the door. She started to chew her fingernail but pulled it away from her mouth. She hadn't chewed her nails since leaving Ed's house and she wasn't going to start now. She glanced at the screen and looked away quickly, her eyes scanning the room and listening for any strange sounds. Why had she asked him if anyone had died here? She had never been creeped out like this before. Of course, she had plenty other things to fear before but it was a different kind of fear. This was an unfamiliar fear, sharp and chilling because she was watching terrifying movies in an old dark house that was probably haunted.

And why had she insisted on turning all the lights off anyway? Was she insane? She was perched on the edge of the couch, that way she could take off running if some murdering ghost girl started crawling towards her.

Suddenly there was someone gripping her arms from behind and she screamed at the top of her lungs before she tried to bolt. She stood up, turning at the sound of a deep chuckle. Daryl was leaning over the back of the couch, grinning from ear to ear. She wanted to flog him. She glared, trying to look as menacing as possible. "You ass!" She yelled.

He hopped over the back of the couch, landing on his back and looking very smug as he stretched out. "Thought you said bein' scared was fun?" He raised one eyebrow. "Just tryin' to insure you have a good time."

"You're a jerk," she huffed and sat down heavily, grabbing the remote and pushing play. "And a very very good actor."

"You asked for it. I didn't know you really believed in all that shit," he argued.

She stretched out next to him, forcing him to turn onto his side so she wasn't hanging off the couch. She turned her back on him, ignoring him for now and focusing back on the movie. Now it was a man and a woman stripping each others clothes off. It was all completely unrealistic and she couldn't help but grimace at the image on the screen. The man was just letting the woman push him onto the bed and the woman looked much to eager. Maybe that was what it was like for some people but it had never been like that for her. She watched the scene play out before her. The man's gentleness and the woman's pleasurable moans. "Why do they always make them look like that in the movies?"

"Huh?" He asked after she didn't elaborate.

She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling fan. "It isn't very realistic. Sex doesn't feel like that. Not for the woman anyway. Sure, the man has his fun or whatever but it isn't like that for women. It's all an act. It isn't anything remotely similar to how they show it in the movies. Have you ever seen cats mate? That's what it's like for a woman."

He didn't say anything at all and she finally turned her head to look at him. He was staring at her, a frown between his eyes. He glanced back at the screen.

"What?" She asked, feeling embarrassed for even bringing it up.

He shook his head. "Nothin'."

There was definitely something because she was pretty good at reading his face and at the moment she had no idea what he was thinking. But she intended to find out before the night was over.


	19. Chapter 19

**Okay, I am beyond nervous about this chapter. I don't know if this is going to make any sense, or if the content of this chapter is going to mess up the flow of this story or if this chapter is going to be the one that you guys are finally like, okay, that shouldn't have happened and I'm done. I am seriously hoping that it isn't. If it is, just know that I've stressed over it for a long time and I did try. Now, with those ominous words looming in your brains, I'll leave you to read. Hope you all are having a great weekend!**

 **Chapter Nineteen**

He was glad when she dropped it. He didn't pay much attention to the movie after that because he couldn't stop thinking about what she had said. He had an idea about what went on behind closed doors with her husband but had it always been like that? Surely she had experienced some sort of pleasure in her life. She had actually gone as far as comparing it to cats mating. He'd seen it before and it was some weird shit and the female cat never looked like she was enjoying it at all.

He probably wasn't the most attentive lover in the world but no woman had ever actually tried to scratch his eyes out and run away screaming. Sure, the bullshit that passed for sex in the movies was a little far fetched but it was closer to the real thing than cats going at it was. She kept glancing at him and he could tell that she was wishing she had never brought it up. He actually wanted to ask her out right if she had ever gotten off in her life. The thought of asking her that had him shifting around nervously. That would be a really stupid move. He couldn't really fathom how it would be if she hadn't though. All those years worth of pent up sexual tension. Hell, if someday some guy played his cards right he'd be in for one hell of a surprise.

This thought had him scowling. Fuck that. She didn't need some asshole guy snuffling around like some pig hunting truffles. He'd knock some asshole's head off if he caught someone trying to get with her. And that thought had him scowling even harder. What the fuck business was it of his? This was okay for now but eventually, it wasn't going to be enough. He tried to imagine continuing this strange friendship ten years from now. It was stupid to think that could ever happen.

"What do you keep thinking about so hard? You're all tense now," she complained as she shifted onto her back again. "If anyone should be tense around here it's me. You scared me to death."

He sighed and tried to relax. If he had known that somehow an innocent Friday night of movies and pizza would have turned into this then maybe he would have taken her up on that offer to get drunk.

"Hello?" She drawled and then tapped him on the forehead. "Where are you at in there?"

He met her eyes. "Nothin'. Just tired. It's been a long ass week."

She nodded and offered him a smile. "Yes it has. Besides, I thought this was suppose to be scary. I got scared one time and the rest has been nothing but people doing it. You wanna call it a night?"

He didn't really want to but he couldn't keep lying next to her thinking about the things he was thinking about. "I guess. You sure you wanna walk past that hallway though?"

She scowled and threw another elbow into his ribs. "Jerk." She got up and turned on the lamp.

He grabbed the pizza box and headed towards the kitchen, needing a drink before he went to his room just so he could lie there for half the damn night staring at the ceiling and thinking about things he had no business thinking about. She wasn't in the living room when he came back through. He checked all the locks and then turned off the light, heading up the stairs in the dark.

She opened the bathroom door, toothbrush sticking out of her mouth as she glared at him and then she slammed the door, leaving him there in the dark hallway. He rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, crossing his feet at the ankles. When she came back out she walked right past him like he wasn't there.

He knew she wasn't actually mad but he grabbed her arm as she walked past him anyway. He actually hated bringing up what he was about to bring up but it was important. "Hey."

She looked up at him, knowing by the tone of his voice that the time for jokes was over. "What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

He didn't want to ask but he needed to. "I double checked the doors but just in case, do you have that gun handy?"

Her face fell a little but she nodded. "It's in the nightstand. Should I keep it under my pillow or something?"

He shook his head. "No. Last thing we need is for you to shoot yourself on accident."

Her eyes were wide in the dim hallway. "Do you really think he'd come here?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so. It's one thing to beat on a woman. It's a lot different when you're hittin' somebody that'll hit you back and he knows I'm here. I don't think he'd risk it."

She nodded but he saw the shine in her eyes. "I don't understand it. Everything he did. Everything he said. It was obvious he hated me. Why would he want me there? All I want is to be left alone."

He nodded towards her room. "Come on," he said quietly, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. He would stay with her again if she needed him. He dropped her hand and went to shut the door but she grabbed it again.

"Daryl?"

"What?" He asked when she didn't say anything else.

"Earlier, on the couch, what was the matter? You were fine and then you weren't fine." She sounded like she was simply trying to change the subject. She wanted to talk about something else before she fell asleep and he didn't blame her but he wished that she would have started talking about something other than this.

"It wasn't nothin'," he said quickly.

"Was it what I said about that sex scene?" She asked.

He blew out a heavy breath. "We should go to bed. It's late. Maybe we can go out for breakfast or somethin'. We can try out that Jeep if you want."

"Why are you changing the subject?"

He ran his free hand through his hair. She was still holding the other. "Because it needs to be changed."

"Because of what I said?"

"Damn it Carol," he groaned, wishing he had went straight to his own room.

"Sex isn't like how I said it was, is it? That's just me is't it? Does that mean there really is something wrong with me? Do you think that's why he ended up hating me? Because I'm... different?"

He snorted. "Course not. That's just stupid. There ain't a damn thing wrong with you. There's something wrong with him. That's all it is. Can we just go to fuckin' sleep now."

"How do you know that?" She whispered. "Maybe that's the reason he turned out the way he did. After we were married was when it got really bad. Maybe it got bad because-"

"Are you fuckin' serious?" He didn't even have to ask the question because he knew she was. He could hear the tears in her voice because she thought she must be some kind of freak. She was making up excuses and finding ways to blame herself for some other persons faults. He had done it himself and looking back, he had sounded just as stupid as she did right now. "There ain't shit wrong with you." They were both silent for a while after that but neither of them moved. Not until her hand started shaking slightly in his.

"Then will you show me?" she breathed, her hand tightening around his when he tried to pull away.

Jesus Christ, what the fuck was she talking about?

"I'm sorry," she laughed nervously and he could tell that she was embarrassed and that made it even worse. "That was a stupid thing to say. I didn't mean that. It's just been a long day, you know, and sometimes I really do wonder if... I wonder if I can feel what other women might feel. I _want_ to feel like that. I just don't think I ever will."

He had to do something and he didn't even know what the hell he was suppose to do. She wanted to know if it was all her. If there was something physically fucked up with her. Against his better judgment his hands went to her hips and he turned her so her back was against the wall. He heard her breath catch in the back of her throat. The tension in the room grew thick as he stepped into her space, not pinning her, but close enough so he was pressed against her. He just couldn't stand thinking that she thought there was something wrong with her.

"Why the hell would you think there was somethin' wrong with you?" he whispered, his lips close to her ear. He inhaled the familiar scent of her and closed his eyes, clenching his teeth.

"I just want to understand why I'm not like other women. I don't feel like they do about things. They act like... Like sex is this great experience but it isn't."

God, what the fuck was he about to do? His hands moved of their own volition, running over the swell of her hips. Her breath hitched. "Women are tricky. Every one of them. All it really takes is a man that's patient enough to find that sweet spot." Well if that wasn't taken right out of Merle Dixon's goddamn guide book on how to please a woman.

"What's that?" Her voice was so strained that he would have laughed at her if this whole situation wasn't completely fucked up. He knew he should stop. He knew that, but he couldn't. Not unless she told him to stop.

"That can be a lot of different things." He turned his head, his nose skimming her jaw as his hands moved up, slipping under her t-shirt and stopping right at her rib cage. He could already feel her trembling under his touch so he forced his hands to stay still but he moved his thumbs, barely caressing the under swell of her breasts.

"Like what?" She gasped when his lips grazed her throat, her hands instantly threaded through his hair and he heard the back of her head hit the wall. "Oh, wow."

He had moved his hands up slightly so now the rough pad of his thumbs were able to brush over her nipples and just that light touch had them straining, almost begging to be touched again, so be obliged.

"Holy crap," she breathed.

"What are you feelin' now?" He whispered right before he caught her earlobe between his teeth. A low moan escaped her then and he moved his lips to a spot just below her ear. He closed his eyes again and willed himself to stay in control, but the smell coming off of her making him feel dizzy. He placed an opened mouth kiss to the spot, running his tongue over the delicate skin there.

"I- I don't know. Hot. And that feels good. Really good," She said, her voice just a breath as her grip on his hair tightened painfully.

Everything in him was screaming at him to stop this. To not complicate things further. But he didn't want to stop. She wanted to feel something and he was more than capable of making her feel. "We need to stop," he said right before he ran his tongue over the soft curve of her throat, his hands gently massaging the firm flesh of her breasts.

She made a desperate sound. "Please don't stop. That feels..." her voice trailed off on a sigh when his lips returned to the spot below her ear.

He was torturing himself but her pleading voice clouded his judgment. "What do you want me to do, Carol?"

"I just want something to feel good. I want you to make me feel good," she pleaded.

"You want me to touch you?" This was a mistake. A huge mistake. So he braced one hand against the wall and let the other trail down her stomach just until his fingers dipped into the waistband of her pants.

"Yes, I do," she whispered hurriedly.

He kissed the side of her neck again before he brought his lips next to her ear. "If I do somethin' you don't like, if you want it to end, all you have to do is tell me to stop, alright?"

"I don't want you to stop."

He pushed his hand into the front of her pants and used his knee to nudge her legs just a little bit further apart. He moved his hand slowly, his fingers gliding over her lightly, exploring her with a feather light touch. The first thing he realized was she was already wet for him. She was breathing like she had just ran a marathon and he didn't sound much better. "You had enough yet?" He asked just a minute later in a voice that had grown so rough with lust that he didn't recognize it as his own.

"No. God no," she panted. One of her hands left his hair, traveling down his chest, over his stomach and he had to grab it before she made it any further down, linking their fingers and holding it against the wall. "I want to," she whispered.

She shook his head. "This ain't about me. I don't matter," he circled her clit lightly and she trembled, moaned and then tightened her grip on his hand. "You want more?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yes, I... This is... I've never..."

That was permission enough for him. He pushed his middle finger into her, his thumb gliding over her. Her muscles trembled around his finger and he knew that being inside of her would have felt like fucking heaven. Her arm wound around his neck and he desperately wanted to kiss her. Wanted to taste her mouth while he felt those wet silk walls tighten against just that lone finger, but he didn't. He didn't finish her off either. He stopped moving and then withdrew his hand right before he knew she was surely going to come.

"Was that it? That felt amazing," she breathed.

He chuckled darkly. "Jesus, you have no goddamn idea, do you?"

She shook her head.

"You want me to stop?" He asked, knowing she didn't.

"No!"

He licked his lips and nodded right before he dropped to his knees in front of her and slid her pants down over her hips and down her thighs. She stepped out of them willingly.

"Daryl, what are you-" Her voice choked off because suddenly his tongue had replaced his finger, plunging into her, tasting her as deeply as he could. And he didn't think he had ever tasted anything sweeter. He groped for the leg of the chair he knew was there somewhere. When his hand finally found it he yanked it towards them.

He pulled back. "Sit," he demanded and then cleared his throat, softening his voice, "If you want more," he added, not wanting her to think she had to do a damn thing here. This was a big deal. This wasn't just messing around with a woman. Just earlier she had reminded him that no matter what happened between them, she wouldn't ever be his in a physical way. She'd reminded him that that part of her was never going to recover from her old life. And that had been okay because as long as he had her in some way, it was worth it. But now, well, now things had turned. He'd taken things way too far.

She did as he said without question and he wasted no time. He pushed her legs open wider and then, to his surprise, he felt her hands on the back of his head, pulling him forward. She was greedy for it now, just like he knew she would be. There was no voice in his mind telling him to stop anymore. His mind was focused on just one thing. And that one thing was to shatter her mind using nothing but his mouth. She needed it and he was desperate to give it to her. She moaned, whimpered, cried out in surprise and he drank in those sounds like it was nectar. It was more than just the fact that he was actually tasting her and that was something he had wanted to do since he'd moved in with her. It was because, in a strange way, he was giving a piece of herself back to her. A piece that had been stolen without her ever even knowing it. He didn't just want to do this, he fucking _needed_ to do this.

Her thighs began to tremble under his hands and he knew that she was close. His finger slipped back inside of her, stroking her gently as his lips closed around that one magical spot, sucking, tongue lashing quickly and just like he knew she would, she completely unraveled, the muscles inside of her flexing around his finger as he continued those quick strokes. Her whole body jerked almost painfully and his name fell from her lips in a desperate cry. The sound of his name erupting from her as she lost complete control was probably the most satisfying sound he had ever heard in his life. He could have done this for hours but truthfully, he needed to get the fuck out of here. When she finally came back down she pushed his head away weakly.

He sat back on the balls of his feet before he finally stood up, pulling her up with him. She swayed a little and instinct had him reaching out to steady her. His hands landed on her bare hips and it jolted him. Her hands went to his chest. He could have had her then and he knew it. She wanted it, probably for the first time in her life, but he had to put the breaks on. It would be so goddamn easy to slip the shirt over her head, walk her right to the bed and sink into her until he was the one that didn't even remember his own name anymore.

He knew he could, but he wouldn't. She'd only been away from that house for a few weeks. God only knew what the fuck she really went through the morning the man had left. She was willing, sure, and physically she was more than ready, but emotionally, she was fucked up. She was better than she had been those first few days but she wasn't all the way better yet and he wasn't going to do anything else until he knew she was ready for it.

This wouldn't be one of those one night stands. She wasn't someone that he could just fuck. He wouldn't do that. He knew it would happen eventually. He was so far beyond gone for this woman that it floored him. And if he was being honest with himself he had been since the day she showed up at his house, but he wouldn't do it now. Now he needed to go to his room. He needed to leave her alone. If he got in that bed with her it would be over.

"Stay," she said softly, taking his hand and backing towards the bed.

He was already having a hard enough time getting out of there and she wasn't helping. "I can't do that, Carol. Not right now."

She dropped his hand and in the partial light from the bathroom he saw her nod. "Okay."

He thought she would put up a fight but she didn't and the more he thought about it he wasn't very surprised. Now she probably thought that he just didn't want to. Goddamn, he wasn't very good at dealing with a woman that had more issues than he did. "I'll see you in the mornin'. If you need me then just yell or somethin', okay?"

"I need you now," she said in a shaky voice.

Mother fuck! Didn't she understand how goddamn hard this was for him? He didn't want to walk out the door but he didn't have a choice. Maybe he shouldn't have done what he had just done and he was afraid she would feel the same way when she woke up in the morning. Already it had changed things. He could have slept in here with her all night before he had done what he did. Now he was about to explode. "It ain't that easy. I got something to take care of anyway." His voice was hoarse and he was physically aching with the need to find release.

"Like what?" She asked.

He groaned. "Myself."

"Oh... Oh!"

He didn't know why his ears were burning. It wasn't like he hadn't just stripped her from the waist down and use her like she was a five course meal. "Yeah, so just go to sleep and I'll see you in the mornin'." He was backing towards the doorway.

"You'd rather go do that than have sex with me?" She asked suddenly.

He stopped. "No! Goddamn it. You ain't understanding what I'm trying to do here. It has to wait. You need to wait. I just wanted to show you that you can feel what other women feel. I wanted to show you that there wasn't anything wrong with you and that you weren't the problem."

A few silent moments passed and then she took a step forward. "I do understand. And I think you're an incredible man for walking away. But..."

He swallowed hard. "But what?"

"You don't have to go do that." She ran a tentative hand down the crotch of his pants, sending a jolt of heat up his spine. "Show me how to do it for you."

He liked to think that he was a strong man but in that moment, those whispered words knocked everything out of him. He was too far gone.


	20. Chapter 20

**I am 100% relieved that so far you guys are good with how things happened in the last chapter. If Easter is your thing then I hope you've had a great one! Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Twenty**

He was stunned at this request. More so at the words she had used than the request itself. _Show me how to do it for you._ He was in serious trouble now. He'd show her whatever the fuck she wanted him to show her at this point. He had tried. He had tried like hell to walk away. Her hand was moving over the length of him causing a sweet friction that had him growling. And then she was undoing his button with trembling fingers. "You don't have to do that," he choked on his words because they were bitter in his mouth. He wanted her to do that. He wanted her to do anything she wanted to do.

"I want to. I need to. And it's kind of a big deal because this is the first time I've ever wanted to do something like this in my life. I want to make you feel good too. We don't have to do anything else. I just have to touch you." She was breathing heavily and her hand was still exploring him through his pants. Her next words clouded his thoughts even more. "I know you won't hurt me, even though you're... you're a lot bigger than Ed."

Well if that wasn't a goddamn ego boost. Fuck it.

He tore his shirt off and threw it behind him and to his complete amazement she followed suit, crossing her arms in front of her and stripping her shirt off. There wasn't a lot of light at all but he could see enough to see that no matter what she wore, nothing did her body any justice. How in the hell could anyone damage someone like her? He couldn't tear his eyes away from the soft curves and perfect planes, until she used her arms to cover herself up.

Instantly he took her wrists and pulled her arms away. "You're fuckin' beautiful," he breathed and then flushed at the words as he pulled her closer, even though he had told her this before, and he said it to himself every damn day.

"You don't have to keep saying things like that to me, Daryl."

"I wouldn't if it wasn't the truth. What the hell do I have to gain from lying about it?" He asked as his hands slipped down her sides. "You're goddamn perfect." His voice sounded awed even to his own ears and he had to shake his head to dislodge anymore sappy commentary that he could have came up with. He could spend all night telling her how fucking amazing she was and she would never believe it. She'd been torn down too many times and it would take him a long time to build her back up. That was okay though because he'd eventually get through to her and he had every intention to try every fucking day of his life.

He had initially set out to do one thing. Show her that she was a normal woman and she could enjoy things just as thoroughly as anyone else could if she was with a man that actually cared about her. He had wanted her to feel what it was like to be completely out of her mind with want. He wanted her to feel that rush and he wanted her to know that he'd do whatever she needed him to do just to make that happen. He wanted to make her feel that longing. And he had accomplished that. It hadn't been about being with her, really. It hadn't been about having some kind of intimate moment with her. He had simply wanted her to feel it.

But now the atmosphere was changing. She ran her hands up his stomach, tracing every inch of him slowly and then her lips grazed his collar bone, his neck, his jaw, moving tentatively. The need to kiss her was excruciating but he didn't move. She had been right when she said that this was a big deal. She took her time, mapping him out like a blind woman reading braille. He was able to stay still for her until she whispered into his ear in a voice that he'd never heard her use use before. Just a soft sultry purr that had him aching even more. "What about you? Where's your sweet spot, Daryl Dixon?"

Those whispered words sounded so erotic that he was moving, backing her towards the bed and not stopping until she was scrambling across the sheets. He followed her, hovering over her. Her eyes were huge, her lips parted and he couldn't hold back anymore. He had to kiss her. She must have had the same idea because she pulled his face down to hers and when their lips finally met, his heart, that was already beating fast and hard, nearly leaped out of his chest. It was like a heavy electric shock to his system and he pulled away, surprised at the emotion that filled him despite it being such a small kiss. She'd felt it too. He could see it in the way she was staring at him, surprise clear in her eyes. She recovered before he did, pulling him back down. Her lips moved against his greedily and when the soft warm tip of her tongue traced his bottom lip he groaned at the feel of it. He deepened the kiss as her hands roamed.

With a pounding heart and head clouded with strangely intoxicating emotions he kissed her until he had to remind himself to breath. He was pressing her into the bed, her skin like silk as it moved against his. He managed to take in just a little much needed air before she pulled him down again. She hummed in the back of her throat. He sank his teeth into her bottom lip, pulling lightly before his tongue began it's slow languid dance with hers. He had never been so completely consumed with kissing a woman in his life. He had never felt like this just from kissing someone and he knew it was because she wasn't just someone. In what little time they had spent together, she had quickly gone from someone, to the only person he ever thought about. She wasn't someone anymore. She was everything.

She pushed lightly on his chest after a few more minutes and he didn't need anymore than that. He instantly stopped and rolled off of her, worried that she had finally realized that they were treading very dangerous waters. Instead, she rolled with him, straddling his hips and her lips were back on his but her hand was sliding down his stomach, slipping into his jeans.

He tore his mouth away from hers and sucked in a breath. "Jesus," he groaned.

"Daryl?" She whispered, her warm hand running up and down the length of him.

"Hmm?" Was his high pitched response. Good God he sounded like a thirteen year old.

"I can't really do a whole lot until you take off your pants." She braced her hands on his chest as he lifted his hips off the bed quickly and started working his jeans down. When he finally had them kicked off the bed he froze, his hands on her hips. She was still straddling him but now there was absolutely nothing separating them. He could feel the heat of her, wet and greedy trapping him between their bodies. She looked strangely triumphant in the dim light coming from the cracked bedroom door.

"Carol," he managed, forcing the words out of his mouth. She said she wanted to touch him and that was okay but this was more than that. She'd wanted him to show her how to get him off and he was more than willing to show her. But things weren't happening quite like that. This was too much and he couldn't stop it. He wouldn't stop it now. But he had to at least try, right? Because if she wasn't ready then this could be a seriously damaging blow to their relationship. Or friendship, depending on how someone wanted to look at it at this point. "Carol, you need to move."

So she did. God, she moved, sliding her hips forward slowly. His teeth snapped together and his head came up off the bed. What the fuck was she doing? They weren't suppose to do this! And goddamn if he wasn't powerless to stop her. "Daryl, please," she whispered, sliding her hips back and forth over him. He was already slick from her arousal.

"We ain't even got anything. It's not like I keep condoms hidden all over the house," he whispered. There, that was something that she couldn't argue about. That was something that should have sobered them both. It didn't matter how bad he wanted to sink into her, no matter how good it would feel to-

"I'm on the pill. I didn't stop taking it when I moved out."

Fuck! Okay then. This was okay. He didn't have an argument. He let go of her hips, reaching above his head and gripped the wooden slats of the head board hard.

"Can we?" She asked.

He groaned. He wasn't going to tell her no. "Yeah, if you can swear to me that this ain't gonna make you hate me in the mornin'." He really was worried about regrets on her part.

"I couldn't ever hate you," She said as she raised up on her knees and gripped him firmly.

He held his breath as she lowered herself over him slowly. His grip on the headboard tightened until he was sure the wood would snap. She braced herself on his chest as she moved down, taking him in at her own pace, adjusting to his size. She kissed him softly, whimpering pathetically once he was seated deep inside of her but it wasn't a pained or a scared sound. She didn't move and he was glad for a moment because he was almost afraid that he was going to lose it right there. He wasn't like Merle. He used a condom any time he was with a woman until now and he was wound so tight from everything that had happened that he was close already. And it didn't help that he had never felt anything like this in his life. the way she gripped him, the warmth, and just the fact that it was her and cared about her so goddamn much made all of this much more to him than he could imagine. It had his mind and his body feeling off kilter and the pleasure, even though she was still, was almost too much. He had to fight it back though. This had to be good for her and then she could get over some more of those hang ups of hers.

"Is this okay?" She whispered, rolling her hips experimentally.

"Fuck," he growled. "Yeah, that's okay. That's... Goddamn it... that's a lot fuckin' better than okay." There was nothing else he could say as she moved over him. She felt like she was molded specifically to fit him. He finally let go of the headboard and tangled his hand in her hair, pulling her mouth down to his. When she raised back up he gripped her hips hard and guided her into a steady rhythm. It didn't take very long for her to get the hang of it either and more than once he had to grab her again, slowing her down before it was over.

She was in control here and it brought out a side of her that was foreign to him. Her body moved fluidly, almost feline in her grace and he was fucking captivated by it. The sensual way her body glided over his was unlike anything he would have ever expected from her. She was moving like a woman that knew what she wanted. She didn't seem to have any hang ups and it was fucking amazing, but he wanted to move. He wanted to show her more than this. When he was thought she would be okay with it he rolled, not missing a beat.

For a second he thought he had fucked up. She tensed, her hands flattening out on his chest. That was the problem. She didn't want to feel trapped. It froze her up. He braced himself on his arms. "You say the word and it's over, alright? This stops when you say it stops."

She pushed his hair back and he could feel her start to relax. "You really would just stop, wouldn't you," she said in an awed voice.

He nodded. God knew it would fucking kill him if she made him stop now but he'd stop if she wanted him to. She needed to know that. She needed to know that she wasn't stuck doing anything she didn't want to do. She was in control of whatever happened here. The sooner she realized that, the better.

She pushed her hips up into him. "I don't want to stop."

"Thank fucking God," he groaned and picked up where she had left off. It wasn't long until her legs were wrapped around him and her nails were biting into his shoulders. She was practically vibrating around him, her heels digging into his lower back as they raced towards an end. And then he heard her cry out in shock. A wave of heat gripped him right before her muscles flexed, tightening more and more until finally rippling around him, pulling him deeper. Over and over her body literally shook with the intensity of it and it was more than he could take. He lost himself, riding on a tide of sensation that left him dumbstruck. He poured into her, shuddering and muttering nonsense into her ear that he was sure she was beyond comprehending anyway.

He couldn't bring himself to move after it was over. He was more than likely squashing her but she wasn't complaining. They were both out of breath and the feel of her fingers lazily running through his hair was just the icing on the cake. He felt boneless.

"So, that's what I've been missing out on for five years of my life?" She finally whispered.

He finally summoned up the energy to roll off of her but he pulled her into his side. "I guess so," he muttered, his voice hoarse.

"Is it always like that?" Her fingers played over his chest almost shyly now.

He laughed and then shook his head. "I don't think so. I ain't never had it like that." No, he'd never felt anything remotely like that in his fucking life.

She raised up on one elbow. "What do you mean?"

He glanced over at her. "That? I don't know what that was. That was..." Hell, he didn't even have any words to use to explain it. He wasn't the most eloquent man in the world.

"Was it bad for you?" She asked, sounding shocked and appalled.

He raised his head up. "What? No! That was the best sex I've ever had in my life. Jesus, woman. You were there! Did that feel like I wasn't liking it?"

He saw her grin even in the dark and then her lips were on his, kissing him deeply. When she pulled away it was reluctantly. "I know you didn't want to but I'm not sorry about it."

His bright mood dimmed a little. "Yeah, we'll see how you feel about that in the mornin'."

She laid her head on his chest. "In the morning I'm going to feel just as good as I do right now. Just more rested."

He didn't say anything else but he did have to admit that he hoped she was right. He didn't want her regretting this, even though he knew that things wouldn't ever be like they were before. Maybe they could be more. Maybe they could be better.


	21. Chapter 21

**Some of you are going to be smiling at this chapter. Others are going to be groaning at this chapter. A few of you might curse under your breath at this chapter. Either way, I hope you get some enjoyment out of it! You guys are awesome. Thanks for reading =)**

 **To my guest reviewer from Argentina, Thank you! And your review was not boring or too analytical at all. It's nice when someone notices small things like that.**

 **Chapter Twenty One**

The sun was pouring in through the window and she felt it warming her bare shoulder. The blanket was pulled all the way down her back and the air hitting her bare skin felt good. She was draped across Daryl's chest and, despite his worries, she remembered, and didn't regret a second of what had happened last night. It had been the most amazing night of her life and she would never regret it. It was like she had discovered a whole new world and in that whole new world, she was a whole new person. He had treated her body like it was something worthy of worship. He had made her feel like the most desirable woman in the world. And she still felt like that was how he seen her. She didn't feel dirty. She didn't feel used. She couldn't even describe how incredible she felt and she owed it all to him.

She didn't open her eyes but she moved so her nose was skimming his throat, breathing in deeply and smiling to herself. He mumbled something and then she felt the hand that was on her back move up to the back of her head, tangling into her hair for a second before it went limp and dropped. He must have been sleepy.

She pulled the blanket up enough to cover herself and then she rolled over onto her other side and he rolled with her, his heavy arm locking around her waist and causing her to smile. He grumbled in his sleep. She cracked open one eye so she could look at the alarm clock. That was when she realized something that turned her blood to ice. She sat up quickly, so startled she couldn't even scream.

They had left the bedroom door open last night and now, leaning against the doorjamb with his feet crossed at the ankles and arms crossed over a broad chest was a man she had never seen before. He looked terrifying, clad in black jeans, biker boots, a sleeveless shirt and a black leather vest he made an intimidating sight. The fact that he was smiling didn't help matters. For just those few seconds she froze and then, without a second thought, she yanked open the nightstand drawer and pulled the gun out, aiming it right at the man's head. It wasn't an easy feat since she was still holding the blanket to her chest. To her amazement all he did was raise one eyebrow at her.

"Who the hell are you!" She finally found her voice but it wasn't as loud or as intimidating as she would have liked it to be. This man had to be someone Ed sent here to kill her and Daryl both and to protect him, she knew she could shoot a man. Before this moment she hadn't thought she would ever be able to use the gun, and maybe she wouldn't have if it had only been her in danger, but it wasn't only her. Whoever this was, he wouldn't get a chance to lay a finger on Daryl.

She felt Daryl sit up behind her. "What the fuck? Merle?"

The name registered but for some reason she kept the gun on him until Daryl pulled it out of her hand.

"Mornin' little brother," Merle's raspy voice sounded amused.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Daryl asked, he didn't sound amused at all.

Merle shrugged. "You are... well, you _used_ to be a creature of habit, boy. You always kept a spare house key taped under the seat of the truck. So I let myself in after I finally hunted your ass down last night."

"Last night?" Daryl asked and she finally looked over at him. He looked like he wanted to jump out the window. His hair was mused and he had scratches on his chest. She hadn't even realized she had scratched him! "What the hell do you mean last night?" Daryl barked.

Merle shrugged. "I got out yesterday afternoon. I tried to call but nobody answered. Got a lift to Oscar's and he took me home, just to find that you moved the fuck out. Finally broke down and called Hershel."

"You got here last night?" Daryl choked. "When last night!"

Merle's smile grew wider and his eyes flicked back to Carol, his brows wagging suggestively. "Oh yeah. I was gonna come in and kick your ass for bailin' on me but then I realized you were... uh... a little busy." He held up his hands. "Now don't worry, don't worry, as soon as I got a look at what was goin' on in here, I went on downstairs. I didn't see too much. Who am I to get in the way of you getting some girl off? So I was polite and slept on the couch. Well, after you two finally called it a night anyway. You got some pipes on you there, sugar ti-"

"Merle!" Daryl barked. "Shut your goddamn mouth!"

"Oh God," Carol whispered, her face flaming.

"You did a lot of talkin' to God, darlin'," Merle laughed.

"Would you get the fuck out for a minute?" Daryl yelled and pointed towards the stairs.

Merle sighed and pushed off the wall, turning to head down the stairs.

"Shut the goddamn door, Merle! Jesus!" he yelled again.

Merle turned on his heel and reached in to grab the doorknob. "Look at your ass getting all bossy on me while I was away. You should be a lot nicer, asshole. If it wasn't for all my coachin', she wouldn't have been screaming your name half as loud."

Once the door was closed Carol reached down quickly, grabbing her shirt and yanking it on. "Oh my God," she hissed. "He... He heard me! I wasn't even loud! Oh my God!" She had never been so embarrassed in her life. She had known that Daryl's brother was going to be here eventually but she thought she had more time to prepare. She wanted him to accept her. She wanted to get off on the right foot with him right away and save Daryl any stress. She had been more than willing to put up with any negative personality traits of his. This was horrible!

"It's not that bad," Daryl said, watching her wearily.

She stood up, wearing nothing but her t-shirt and panties and, to her astonishment, his eyes darkened as they raked over her, lingering at the juncture of her thighs. "Not so bad? Daryl, I've been stressing about meeting him for the past two weeks and now the only thing he knows about me is that I've had sex with his brother and I'm loud in bed! I wanted him to like me to make your life easier!"

He groaned and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Actually, with Merle, somethin' like that is the way to get off on the right foot with him. It's right up his alley." He threw the blanket aside and stood up. He wasn't wearing anything but a pair of black boxer briefs and now she realized how he could look at her like that after Merle had caught them in bed together.

Heat pooled low in her stomach. She wanted him again. She wanted him right now. Instead of voicing any of this she slipped her pants on and turned towards the door. She was surprised when he caught her hand, stopping her. She turned, her eyes instantly going down, but he had put his pants back on. When she looked back up he was staring at her with one raised brow.

"Don't judge me," she said haughtily. "If you're gonna be in my room in nothing but your underwear I have every right to stare."

He rolled his eyes. "Other than that," he began, nodding towards the closed door, "Are we good?"

She could see the worry in his eyes as he searched her face. She cupped the side of his neck and kissed his lips lightly. Even that small contact with him was a heady experience. She nodded. "Yes. Last night was amazing. I'm glad I forced you to have sex with me. I'm only sorry that your brother had to listen to it."

He looked relieved and for some reason this had her heart swelling with... something. He glanced at the door again, his eyes growing concerned. "I ain't had a chance to talk to him. It takes time to know how to take him. He's lewd and he's an asshole and he's gonna say shit that you don't wanna hear. Just give it time, okay?"

She bit her lip and nodded, her eyes wide.

"Goddamn it, you're killin' me with that," he said right before his lips were on hers. This kiss was different from the one she had given him. This one was heated, promising her that there were still many things she had to learn and he would happily show her. Right here.

She reluctantly ended the kiss, even though it caused that low burning heat to intensify. "You need to get down there. You need to talk to him and explain what's happened."

He didn't look thrilled about it but he nodded in agreement. "What are you gonna do? Hide up here?"

She shook her head. "I need a shower. I look like a mess and I want you to be able to explain things without me standing there making things even more weird."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Really? He heard us all night and then you pulled a gun on him. You really think you standing around while we talk things out is gonna be weirder than that? And what was with that, by the way? I've been worried that if push came to shove you wouldn't really use that gun for anything."

She glanced at the gun sitting on the nightstand. "Because even though I'm willing to let bad things happen to myself, there was no way I was willing to let someone do anything to you," she said in a voice so low she wasn't sure if he would even here it. When she looked up he was staring at her but she couldn't read the look on his face.

"That don't make any sense, but I'm glad you thought to use it. And I'm glad you didn't kill my brother on my behalf."

She could feel his eyes on her as she went to her closet and started rummaging through the clothes. She grabbed some jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. "Well, I'm throwing you to the wolf now. Good luck."

She left him there scowling in the bedroom but she didn't feel bad. Merle was his brother and this was his situation to fix. All she could do now, on her part, was damage control. She would be as nice as she could, gauge his personality, and then do what she could to make him like her. Even if she learned that he was an insufferable pig, which was her first impression, she would work around it for Daryl. The man already had no qualms about embarrassing her so she would just have to make sure she didn't put herself in a situation where he could do it any further.

When she was finished with the shower she stood in front of the full length mirror on the back of the door. She studied her body with a critical eye, finding faults almost everywhere she looked. But after a few disgruntled moments she narrowed her eyes and brought up the memory of how Daryl seemed to perceive her. The way he'd looked when he had muttered something about how beautiful she was.

"It was dark," she grumbled out loud, but in the back of her mind she hadn't been as disappointed with her reflection as she usually was. She felt different about how she looked. She almost felt a tentative sense of pride for her body. She didn't let these thoughts take root, though. Maybe someday she might see what he saw, though, and that made her happy.

She dressed hurriedly, even though she was in no hurry to get down there and face Merle Dixon and that knowing smile that she already found infuriating. She blow dried her hair so it would at least be more manageable and then she nervously applied a little makeup. Not a lot since she wasn't used to wearing it at all, but just enough to maybe enhance what she already had and to dull the faded bruises that were still on her face. She had bought it on impulse yesterday. That wasn't the only thing either. She hadn't been allowed to by things like make up or her own clothes or anything that would make her feel feminine. So yesterday, while Hershel picked up a few things for Annette, Carol had done a little shopping of her own.

She had found herself in the department store's small section of underwear and bras and she had been fascinated by the different colors and styles. So she had bought some. She had actually bought a lot. She hid them all in the bottom of her cart under a few other things she had picked up, just in case Hershel found her before she could check out. Luckily, he hadn't caught her. Looking back at it now that wouldn't have been half as embarrassing as what had happened this morning.

Once she decided that she was as presentable as she could get she headed down the stairs. She stopped just outside the kitchen doorway at the sound of Merle's low voice. She moved over, feeling only a little guilty for eaves dropping. It was fair since Merle had kind of eaves dropped on them.

"I just don't think you know what kinda hell you're getting yourself into," Merle snapped. "She's a married fuckin' woman, brother. You can't just take a married woman out of her house and move her in with you."

"You don't know shit about the situation, Merle. Drop it," was Daryl's angry reply.

Carol felt her heart sink.

Merle grumbled something under his breath that Carol didn't catch but soon he was speaking loud enough for her to hear again. "So this guy just called it a loss and moved on, huh? You don't see this blowing up in our faces?"

"It ain't no concern of yours either way. Why the fuck do you gotta do that, huh? I'm a grown ass man that can handle my own problems, Merle."

"I get involved because you make dumb ass decisions," Merle snapped right back.

Daryl laughed but there was no humor in it. "Have you lost your fuckin' mind? Should I remind you that you were the one that's spent the last half of the year in jail? It's you always making the dumb ass decisions! I'm just the one that tags along and tries to make things easier on you! Maybe what I did wasn't the smartest thing in the world but it's my business, not yours."

"Is it just about getting your dick wet? Come on! I can get you laid and you wouldn't have to worry about some scorned husband sniffin' around and causin' trouble."

Carol held her breath, blinking tears away.

"Fuck you, Merle. You don't know what the fuck you're talkin' about because you've never given a shit about anybody but your goddamn self!"

"What, you gonna tell me that you love this girl? You sayin' that she's the one, baby brother? Come on, think about this. That little girl is gonna bring hell down on both of us. I'm sure she's nice, alright. She's a damn fine lookin' thing and from the sounds of it the two of you got a shit load of chemistry in the sack, but use your head. There's easier pickings out there."

"You can say or think whatever the hell you want. She's staying. This is just as much her house as it is mine. It'd do you some good to remember that. Whatever she is to me ain't no business of yours."

Carol stepped into the room then, smiling at both of them as they looked up at her. Merle was sitting at the small table and Daryl was leaning against the counter. She could tell that he was on edge but Merle just grinned, his eyes raking over her. She went to the cabinet and grabbed the large mug with the lid, filling it up with coffee. "I was planning on cooking you both something but I just remembered that I promised Annette I would come over today to help out with a few things while Patricia was gone."

She glanced at Daryl who was watching her. "I'll go start the truck."

"I can drive myself, remember?" She said quickly as she tried to screw the lid on the cup. It wasn't easy since her hands were shaking.

"I wanted to check that Jeep out before you took it anywhere. I told you tha-"

"I'll be fine. I'm not your problem. You have to stop worrying all the time." She shrugged. "Besides, it's just right down the road. If it blows up then I'll walk back. No big deal."

He looked like he wanted to say more but he glanced at his brother and then closed his mouth. Just like she knew he would. She had been nervous about meeting his brother but she had thought that if she had the chance to just let him get to know her, it would be okay. But that wasn't going to be the case at all. He thought that she was bad for Daryl. Without even knowing it he had planted the seed in her brain that just maybe, he was right.

"It was nice to meet you, Merle. This place really is great and I hope you like it here. I'll see you guys later." Without a backward glance she left the room with no real destination in mind. All she knew was that she had to get out of that house and away from Merle Dixon's brutally honest words.


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay, Here's your update! I'm really sorry for stressing you guys! Merle is just... Merle. lol**

 **Chapter Twenty Two**

Daryl watched her hurry out of the room with a sinking feeling in his stomach. She had heard them. Or she had heard Merle, anyway. She already had issues with being a burden to him and she already had insecurities about causing him problems that had nothing to do with him. But they had already worked past that. They had worked past everything and now they were back to square one because his brother was big stupid asshole.

"She left in a hurry," Merle stated the obvious, causing Daryl to grind his teeth together in annoyance.

"Yeah, no shit. She heard us talking."

Merle shrugged. "Maybe that's a good thing. She needs to know that we don't wanna deal with any bullshit drama. Maybe she's headin' back home to her old man where she belongs."

A chill ran up his spine at that thought. Surely she wouldn't do that. She wouldn't ever get upset enough to do something that fucking stupid. Of course, staying with Ed for that long had been stupid so it wasn't like she wasn't capable of making seriously stupid decisions. "For your sake you better hope to God you're wrong," he growled as he grabbed the truck keys off the wall and headed towards the front door.

Before he could get there Merle stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. He spun around, knocking the hand away. He saw fury flash in Merle's eyes and Daryl knew that he should back away now while he still could. Merle was fucking volatile when he got mad enough and Daryl didn't have time for that fight right now. "I'm gonna go ahead and give you the benefit of the doubt, cause it's my first day out and believe it or not, I'm happy to see you, but you need to pull that fuckin' stick outta your ass boy because if you force me to do it, I'll beat you with it."

"You know why I talked her into leavin' her husband? I did it cause he's spent the last five goddamn years beatin' her! The girl you met this mornin' ain't the same one I took outta that house. Why the fuck can't you ever just shut the fuck up? If she does go back to that piece of shit, he's gonna kill her. I didn't bring her here to fuck her! I brought her hear because she needed somebody around that could keep her safe. You don't know what the fuck she's been through. And it wouldn't matter if you did because you're a self serving asshole! It wouldn't matter if you knew that I fuckin' care about her more than I have anybody else in my life. It wouldn't matter if you knew that she's the best goddamn thing that's ever happened to me because all you'd do is get pissed off that it ain't got shit to do with you! And I swear to God, Merle, if you hurt her anymore than you already have, or you have driven her back to that fuckin' house, if you ruin this for me I'm gonna shoot your goddamn dick off!" He was screaming in his face now, breathing like a bull, panic alone pulling breath back into his lungs.

Merle was so stunned that all he could do was stand there while Daryl stormed out. He never talked to his brother like that. He was lucky Merle didn't take his damn head off for it. He usually wasn't the type to blow up like that. Not on his brother anyway. He'd been in his fair share of fights but it was rare for him to get into one with Merle.

He didn't have time to worry about that right now. He needed to focus and figure out where the hell Carol had taken off to. He thought about all the steps she had made in just what little time she'd been away from that prison of a house. And then last night had happened. He had been afraid that everything would fall apart once the sun came up but it hadn't. It hadn't and he had been relieved. And now this had to happen. Merle just didn't understand because Merle really didn't give a damn about anyone but Merle.

Well, that wasn't completely true. Daryl knew that Merle cared about him in his own messed up way. Merle was twelve years older than him and had always tried to look out for him but he wasn't any good at it. He took off a lot when they had both been at home. He'd spent a lot of time in and out of boys schools and then when he turned eighteen, the same year Daryl turned six, Merle had joined the military. When he came home from that and realized the life that Daryl had been forced to live, Merle came around more. But that didn't mean he had always been there to protect his kid brother. Daryl had had to face that all on his own for the most part.

Daryl turned around in the Greene's driveway when he realized that Carol's Jeep wasn't there. He didn't even stop to talk to them, knowing they would keep him for an hour. He tore out of the drive and headed to the only other place he knew she would go. He just hoped that she was there because he didn't want to check Ed's house. He didn't want to think that she would be upset enough to do something so damn stupid. What Merle said hadn't been too bad. But it would have been hard for her to hear. He was almost positive he knew where she was and that was the only think that kept his foot from pushing the pedal to the floor. She was too smart to go back to that. He was just being paranoid.

He didn't realize he was speeding at all until he heard the siren. He glanced up in the mirror and sure enough there were blue and red lights flashing behind him. He looked down and winced when he saw that he was going nearly thirty miles over the speed limit. He pulled off to the side and reached into the glove compartment for the registration and proof of insurance.

He rolled down the window and waited for the cop to start hassling him. It was some lanky asshole that looked like any other cop. Like he was some big shot because he had a badge. Just the set of the man's mouth made Daryl want to punch him in the face.

"You in a hurry this morning?" The cop asked.

Daryl didn't say anything. He just handed the information that he knew the cop would ask for. He already knew why he was being pulled over. Now all he wanted to do was get his fucking ticket and get the hell to the diner before Carol had a chance to leave. He knew in his gut that that was where she would go.

"I'll be right back," the cop assured him.

He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, wishing he'd paid more attention to how fast he had been going. It was a dumb move getting a speeding ticket. He could think of a hundred different things that he could do with the money he was going to have to fork over.

When the cop came back he handed Daryl his stuff and then put his hands on his hips. "I'm gonna go ahead and give you a warning this time. Just be more careful, alright?"

Daryl frowned, finally meeting the man's eyes. "You just givin' me a warning?"

The cop nodded. "Yeah. It's easy to get in a hurry and suddenly grow a lead foot. Happens to the best of us. Don't seem to be a habit, though. Your record's clean." He turned and walked away.

Daryl made a face but he wasn't about to argue with the guy. It wasn't often he got a break. To his surprise the cop actually passed him on the road, throwing his hand up on his way by. Daryl had the urge to flip him off, just because, but he refrained. The guy hadn't had to let him off with a warning, especially since it wasn't like Daryl was only going a few miles over the limit.

He was surprised to see that the damn cop pulled into the diner right before him. He groaned and turned on his signal, following him into the parking lot. He got over his mood quickly when he also saw the red jeep. He parked next to it and forced himself to walk at a regular pace. He wanted to talk to her. He needed to remind her that he had warned her about Merle and that it would just take a while to get used to him.

His eyes scanned the room until he finally saw her sitting at a corner table, her chin resting on her fist as she picked at her food. She looked miserable and he hated it. He pulled out the chair across from her and sat down heavily. Tara wasn't working today but he knew the other girl, Rosita, pretty well too. She was a lot quieter and more efficient than Tara but he liked Tara more, even on days she did nothing but give him shit for one reason or another.

Carol looked up, her eyes widening and then her expression turned guilty. "Hi," she said with the same forced smile she had on her face before she left.

"Stop," he muttered. "I know you heard him. You ain't gotta act like you didn't."

Her face fell and she looked back down at the food she wasn't eating. "He doesn't hold back does he?" She asked.

"He don't know what he's talkin' about. I warned you that he was an ass and a half."

When she finally looked up he nearly looked away. "He was right, Daryl. I already knew damn good and well how much trouble all this would be. I just didn't realize that it would bring so much drama with Merle. I should have thought of that but I just..."

"That ain't how it is and you know it. You're lettin' him get in your head just like you always let Ed." He felt his temper flare a little and he leaned closer his arms crossed over the tabletop. "Why the hell is it so easy for you to accept the bullshit that comes outta their mouth, but you don't listen to me?"

"I listen to you," she said softly.

"No you don't. If you did then we wouldn't be sittin' here right now."

She looked up. "Maybe because what they say makes sense and what you say doesn't," she said, sounding angrier than he expected. "You think I don't listen to you but I do. Sometimes it's just harder to believe what you say."

"Why? Cause Ed and Merle have gone out of their way to earn your trust? That makes a whole lot of sense, Carol. As far as I can see it, the only person that's ever gone out of their way to earn your trust is me."

"Don't you think I know that!" She snapped, looking away to collect her thoughts before she met his eyes again. "You have no idea what it's like to-"

"Bullshit," he snapped right back. "You have no idea. Not a goddamn clue what it took for me to put myself out there like that. You ain't the only person in the world that's been shit on by people that was suppose to have your back. Maybe if you wasn't so goddamn stubborn you would see that."

She blinked in the face of his anger but she didn't look afraid. That was something anyway. "Can you honestly say that what we're doing is smart? Merle was right. I'm not feeling sorry for myself by agreeing with him either," she added quickly. "I don't know what you've been through but I do know it was bad. I know because you fought so hard to get me away from that house. I know because of the way you try so hard to make me happy. You've lived it. But this isn't your fight. You've known me for a few weeks. Just a few short weeks. And it's been the best few weeks of my life but I never should have left with you. I should have left on my own. I am bringing trouble right to your doorstep."

He ran his hand through his hair and looked away from her intense gaze. He wasn't here to talk about himself. He was here to talk about her. And he hated to think that she knew about his past. He wanted to forget about it, just like he wanted her to forget about her own. "It ain't just my doorstep. It's yours too. And I knew what I was getting into before I ever got into it. You didn't force me into anything."

They sat in silence for a while after that, neither of them looking at the other. He jumped slightly when he felt her hand on the back of his. He looked up and she offered him a small smile. "I'm sorry I just walked out. I just want to make sure you know exactly what you've gotten yourself into. It doesn't matter if you agree with Merle's choice of words, you have to agree that he's right."

He shook his head and was about to say something when the bell above the door jingled softly. Carol glanced over and he felt her hand tighten on his. He followed her gaze and silently thanked God that he had thought to check to see if she was here.

"Daryl..." She breathed.

He didn't take his eyes off the men that just walked inside. "It's fine. He ain't gonna do a damn thing to you," he growled. Just then Ed's eyes swung their way, locking on Daryl's. He stood up just as Ed's face flamed red with anger and then took a step towards their table.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hi! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I did. Thanks for reading! =)**

 **Chapter Twenty Three**

She was frozen to her chair and Ed hadn't even looked at them yet. When his eyes turned towards them she felt her blood turn to ice at the look in his eyes and then he looked at Daryl. What Merle said that morning flashed through her mind and she knew that this was what he had been talking about. This wasn't Daryl's fight but he was standing now and Ed was heading right for them. She stood up so fast that she nearly knocked over her chair.

She was about to step around Daryl and try to keep this confrontation as quiet and peaceful as possible but before she could even get around him Daryl's arm came out, blocking her path and then he stepped in front of her.

"If you wanna do this then we do this outside," Daryl said in a voice that chilled her further.

She managed to get out from behind him for long enough to see Ed sizing him up. He never would have agreed if he didn't have anyone with him but since he was sure that this was a fight he would win, he nodded and turned around. As the threesome walked out the door Daryl turned on her. "Stay in here. Use their phone and call my brother, got it?"

She shook her head. "No! You aren't going out there."

"I'm handy in a fight Carol, trust me," he said quickly. "If you go out there it's just gonna make it worse."

"Daryl-"

He didn't let her finish. He walked to the door, no trace of fear in his eyes. Was he insane? She wasn't going to do what he said. She wasn't going to hide in there while Daryl was beaten by three men because of her. She would do something to help him. When she rushed out the door the three of them were walking towards him and he was backing towards his truck. Was he going to try to leave? She shook her head at the thought. He would never do that. But there was something in his eyes that told her he did have something up his sleeve. There was a strange smile on his face as his eyes stayed locked on Ed.

She was scared for him. She knew that he had probably won his share of fights in the past but could he really take on three men? One of which having extreme rage on his side? Ed seeing her and Daryl together would have surely driven him over the edge. She didn't know what she was going to be able to do to help him but she started heading their way. Daryl was still backing towards his truck and the three men were still stalking towards him.

"Ed!" She yelled, amazed to hear the strength in her voice.

He stopped and turned to look at her, his face contorted in rage and that familiar disgust he always seemed to feel when she was in his sights. And that was when Daryl finally made his move. She covered her mouth as his arm reached behind him, into the back of the truck, and came back out with a large piece of wood. With a satisfied smile on his face he drew back and slammed the guy closest to him in the stomach. The guy Carol didn't know. He doubled over, clutching his midsection before dropping to the gravel.

Ed heard the air being knocked out of his friend and was in the process of turning back towards Daryl and that was when Daryl swung again. Carol froze as the wood slammed into the side of Philip's head with a sickening crack, dropping him like a stone. Philip fell where he stood and then it was only Ed and Daryl. Carol ran towards them, knowing that if Daryl touched him he would press charges and Daryl could very well land in jail. She couldn't let that happen.

Now that he was standing there about to fight one on one Ed didn't look very smug. Carol was stunned, stopping in her tracks as he started backing away. Daryl smiled and he looked like his brother then. This wasn't the Daryl that she had grown to know so well. This was the Daryl that truly would do whatever he had to do to keep her safe. He took another step and Ed backed further away.

"What's the matter, Ed? You like to fight, right?" Daryl asked, his eyes glittering. "You like to get your hands dirty. Kick people around, right? Well, this is your lucky day cause I like to do that too."

Ed stopped, knowing there was nowhere to go and unwilling to turn his back on Daryl. Daryl had tossed the board back into his truck, knowing he wouldn't need it if it was a fair fight. All of this had happened in less than a minute but Carol felt like things were moving in slow motion.

"You were in my house when I found out she'd taken off. You knew exactly who I was," Ed snapped. "You think fuckin' another man's wife is some game, boy?"

Daryl smirked and Carol could have sworn that she could feel Ed's anger radiating off of him. "Nope. Not a game at all. I don't play games."

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into, you know that, right? She's a worthless fucking bitch and you'll end up roughing her up just like I did. There's only so much a man can take. You'll be begging me to come get her-" Ed's words died on his lips when he saw the raw fury in Daryl's eyes. He didn't have a chance to say anything else before Daryl was on him, his fist making a sickening sound as it made contact with Ed's jaw. A sound Carol had heard before when Ed had hit her.

Ed was knocked back a few feet but had no choice but to fight back because Daryl didn't look like he was finished. Not by a long shot. Ed swung, causing Carol to flinch but Daryl danced out of his reach, dodging the blow and then came in, swinging up hard and clipping Ed right in the chin, knocking his head back on his shoulders. Carol thought it had broken the man's neck but he stumbled backwards before landing heavily on his ass not far from where Philip Blake was lying unconscious, bleeding from his face. Daryl towered over him, his fist coming down again in the center of Ed's face, pulverizing his nose and ruining his lips.

"Hey!"

Carol turned just as two police officers tore out of the diner, running right towards Daryl and Ed. One of them paused as he realized she was standing there, stunned into immobility. It was Officer Walsh. He only hesitated a second before he hurried past her.

It was the other cop, Officer Grimes, that grabbed Daryl as Walsh grabbed Ed, who still hadn't managed to land a blow. Daryl didn't resist. He let the cop pull him back a few feet and then he put his hands in the air. Ed, now that help had arrived, made a move to charge Daryl but that wasn't going to happen. Actually Carol was almost sure that Ed only acted that way because he knew Daryl was finished. Just a few minutes ago he had been backing away.

Her feet were carrying her towards Daryl without her even telling them to move. He met her eyes then, searching.

"What the hell happened here?" Walsh barked as he hauled Ed back further.

"That piece of trash attacked me and my friends. I want to press charges!" Ed barked. "I want him arrested right now!"

Daryl rolled his eyes but he kept his mouth shut. Carol finally picked up her pace, storming towards them, her fists clenched. "Officer Grime's, Ed is telling the truth," she said quickly. She saw Daryl's eyes widen and his mouth drop open.

"I could tell that from the one man trying to drag himself off the ground over there and the other taking a nap in a pool of his own blood, Mrs. Peletier," Grimes said, "What I need to know is the whole story, from start to finish."

Carol nodded and avoided looking at Ed just yet. It wasn't because she was scared, either. It was because looking at him made her sick. She stopped in front of Officer Grimes and Daryl. "Mr. Dixon and I were having breakfast when my soon to be ex husband, Ed, came in. The one we spoke about at the station. Him and his friends approached our table and Mr. Dixon told Ed that if he wanted to talk then they could go outside to talk, away from me." Now she looked up at Ed. He was glowering at her but she went on.

"When they got out here all three men started backing Mr. Dixon to his truck, threatening him," she made that part up but it looked threatening so she didn't feel guilty for the lie. "He used a piece of wood to get them away from him. He was only trying to keep Ed away from me, since he phoned yesterday and informed us that a piece of paper wouldn't keep him away from me."

"You filthy fucking bitch," Ed snapped.

Daryl almost broke away from Officer Grimes just then but he stopped resisting once he realized what he was doing. Walsh, however, wasn't as kindly. "So you're tellin' me that after we served your ass those papers, you thought you'd come right in here and have yourself a talk with your wife, is that it?" He slammed Ed down on the hood of a car and proceeded to cuff him.

"What the hell is this!" Ed bellowed. "My friends and I have been assaulted and I want that asshole arrested!"

"Mrs. Peletier, are you certain it was a clear cut case of self defense?" Officer Grimes asked.

"I saw the whole thing too," a female voice said from behind her. Carol turned to see Rosita standing with her arms crossed over her chest. "Those three were in there clearly ready to start some trouble and Daryl there got between them and the lady and told them to go outside. That's when they all rushed him. He was defending himself."

"That's bullshit!" Ed roared. "He started the damn fight! Can't you tell a few lying bitches from your own asses!"

"Ed Peletier, you have the right to remain silent..." Walsh started, a smile threatening at the corner of his mouth as he looked up and winked at Carol.

Carol didn't listen to anymore as he started to lead Ed off around the building. Rick had let go of Daryl and stepped towards her. Officer Grimes looked her over. "Are you okay?" Rick asked, looking more worried than he had any right to be. He didn't know her, but she was thankful he had been there to stop what was happening. She did know that he had a wife of his own and he had seemed like he had been willing to go above and beyond to help her when she had been at the police station.

She didn't care that Daryl had hurt Ed but she hadn't wanted it to get out of hand and him really do some damage. If Daryl went to jail she would never be able to forgive herself. "I'm fine," she said, unable to take her eyes off of Daryl. He was watching her closely but she couldn't read his eyes at the moment. Was he realizing that he really was in over his head? Was he second guessing his decision to take her away from Ed's house? She shook the thought. It was a hard one to shake but she shook it anyway.

Officer Grimes took down their statements and then the statements from other witnesses. Apparently everyone had the same story and Ed was in some trouble this time. Carol didn't even wait around to see what became of his friends. She grabbed Daryl by the hand and walked with him towards the truck. It wasn't until she realized that her fingers felt slightly sticky that he was bleeding.

"You're hurt!" She gasped, bringing the hand up to her face and studying the cuts across his knuckles.

His lips twitched. "It ain't nothin'. None of them even got one hit it, not that Ed didn't try. That man can't fight worth shit."

She was still worrying over his injuries, but she looked up and met his eyes. "This was exactly what your brother was talking about, Daryl. I care about you. I care about you a lot. I don't want things like this to happen to you."

"Nothin' happened to me," he said in a gruff voice. "I knew what I was getting into. I don't care about those jackasses. Nothin' happened."

"Can we just talk about this at home?" She asked, glancing around at the crowd that was forming. Apparently Philip Blake, who had taken the head shot, needed serious medical attention. Carol found herself hoping that it had hurt. A lot.

"You gonna take off again?" He asked, raising one eyebrow at her and pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

She shook her head. "No. It'll be hard, especially after this, but I can deal with your brother. I just wasn't expecting him to dislike me so much before I ever had a chance to really talk to him."

Daryl shook his head. "It ain't that he don't like you. He don't like the situation and a lot of that has to do more with me than it does you anyway. He don't know how to handle me makin' my own decisions and doing shit without his approval."

"And that includes me?" She asked.

He sighed but nodded. "He don't think it's a good idea but I don't give a damn what he thinks about it. That's just as much your home as it is mine. I love my brother but if he don't like you bein' there he can find an apartment somewhere. That's our damn house. It's been our damn house for weeks, not his. He'll get over it or he'll leave."

"You and him wouldn't be having problems if it wasn't for me."

He snorted. "You don't know Merle. There's problems plenty where he's concerned. If it wasn't you then it'd be something else. Just give it time and he'll get over it, move on to the next thing to bitch about."

She still felt skeptical but she nodded. It had been a long morning. It was suppose to have been a good morning, especially after the monumental night she had shared with him. She forced a smile and nodded. "Okay. I'll try to make it as easy for you as I can."

He held her gaze for a long time before he finally nodded. "Let's go home then, alright? I'm over this morning already."

She nodded. She couldn't agree more.


	24. Chapter 24

**Hi again. I was a chapter ahead over on ninelives so I'm double updating on fanfiction today so they can be even. This is a shorter chapter anyway so I figured why not. I'm not positive but I may not be around tomorrow to post on time so this will just make up for that anyway. So, until next time, thanks for reading.**

 **Chapter Twenty Four**

Daryl had watched Merle closely as Carol cleaned up his knuckles in the downstairs bathroom. He hovered in the doorway, his eyes hard every time Daryl looked up to meet them. He knew that Merle was only keeping his mouth shut because he was biding his time. He'd warned Carol several times what may happen once Merle got the story. He had simply given Daryl that "I told you so" look and paced the living room like a caged lion.

Daryl was actually glad that Ed was in jail at the moment because if Merle had gotten a hold of him then the man would be dead. He had no doubts about that. As far as Merle was concerned, no one was going to lay his hands on Daryl except him. Him and Merle had been in plenty of fist fights and that was okay with both brothers, but even though they fought, they would still kill for the other. Daryl didn't agree with a lot of things Merle did but Merle was his brother and that counted. Blood was blood, even if your brother was a huge asshole.

"I told you this shit was gonna happen," he snapped, unable to keep his mouth shut anymore. "Didn't I tell you this was gonna happen? And sure as shit as soon as your dense ass leaves to chase after her you almost get jumped by three guys!"

Carol looked up, meeting Daryl's eyes. Daryl gave her a reassuring look and she nodded, finishing up the unnecessary clean up of the superficial wounds on his hand. He wasn't used to the fuss and would have probably told someone else to get the fuck away from him by now. But she wasn't just someone and if it made her feel better to clean up his hand then he would let her do it.

"This was nothin', Merle," Daryl said wearily. It was going to take him a while to get used to this. To get used to his brother breathing down his neck all the time, always giving his two cents. He had gone a long time without having to deal with it. He had missed his brother. He would be lying if he tried to deny it. But he didn't miss this. The constant fucking nagging and the never knowing exactly what he was going to do or say. When it was just the two of them it hadn't really mattered but that wasn't the case anymore. Even if Carol was in a better place in her mind, Merle could very well keep trying to work her over.

"It was nothin' this time. What about the next, huh? What are you gonna do when it ain't three of them but six of them? What are you gonna do when you get off work one night and there's a group there waitin' to bash in your head? You know, the stunt you pulled takin' that cock sucker home that day gave him all the info he needed. He knows where you work, dumb ass! You ready for this?"

Carol didn't say a word. She turned and slipped out of the bathroom, careful to make sure she stayed as far away from Merle as she could. One of the things Daryl worried about was Carol feeling like Merle was the same type of man as Ed. He wasn't and Daryl knew it, but did she? Merle had a toxic personality at times and he was pretty damn violent when he wanted to be, but he'd never put his hands on a woman. Even the man's ex from years before had nearly killed him and he had done nothing but hold her down until she was calm enough to let him leave without stabbing him in the back.

He just wished that his brother wasn't so fucking volatile. Daryl stepped around Merle but stopped when Merle grabbed his arm. He yanked away from Merle's grip and glared but Merle didn't seem fazed by the look like others were.

"I'm fuckin' serious," Merle growled. "I ain't havin' you getting yourself killed over a piece of ass."

Daryl was surprised at himself. Usually he could blow off Merle's words, no problem. Apparently today wasn't one of those days he was going to be able to do that very easily because the next thing he knew he shoved Merle backwards hard enough for the bigger man to hit the wall. "Like I said before," he snapped. "You don't know shit about the situation, alright. You can stay here and deal with how things are or you can go the fuck somewhere else. It ain't like that. She ain't like that. Worry about your goddamn self for once. Out of the two of us, you're the one with the most issues."

Merle pushed off the wall, his eyes flashing angrily as he took a step towards Daryl. Daryl braced himself for another fight.

"Stop!"

Both men looked towards the doorway to the dining room. Carol was standing there, her arms crossed over her chest defensively. There was a look in her eyes, however, that Daryl had never seen before. It was a steely resolve and the stirrings of a new kind of strength. He had no idea where it had come from but he wanted to see more of it.

"Merle, I get it. Okay? You think me being here is a bad idea. You think I should back off and go back to my husband, or at least go somewhere else. But I pay my own way here. I share in the responsibilities of paying for this house and everything that comes with it. This is my house too and no matter how many fits you throw, I'm not going anywhere. Not until Daryl decides it's time for me to go. And you can stop acting like this whole situation has anything to do with what you heard last night. It doesn't."

Merle gaped at her and then his eyes narrowed. "Who the fuck do you think you are? You think you can offer my brother anything he ain't been offered before? You may look the part but you're a real fuckin' idiot if you think this is goin' anywhere. And your double fuckin' stupid if you think I'm leavin'."

Daryl was about to tell Merle off again but he didn't get a chance to.

"That's fine, Merle. You can think whatever you want about me and it doesn't matter. I've heard worse from people who's opinion of me counted a lot more than yours ever will. Just remember that out of me and you, I'm the only damn one of us that isn't making any demands on him. I'm the only one that isn't trying to con him into throwing anyone out. I want you here because I know how much he cares about you. Maybe you should try your hand at caring about him that much." With that she stormed past them and up the stairs.

Daryl and Merle both stared until she was gone and then looked at each other. Daryl was speechless and he was surprised to see that Merle was also. At least for a few seconds anyway.

"You see that!" He barked, pointing towards the stairs. "She's a bitch to boot! We need to get rid of her, little brother. I'll get you ten more that are less mouthy. I thought you said she was some meek little shit! Did you hear what the fuck she just said to me?" He scoffed and stormed off towards the downstairs bedroom that was reserved for him, slamming the door.

He had put on a good show but Daryl could tell right away that Merle wasn't just surprised at her unexpected outburst but he was at least a little impressed. He would just never admit it. But Daryl would. Daryl was more than impressed. He wouldn't have thought she had it in her to talk to his brother that way. Hell, sometimes he wouldn't talk to his brother that way. He shook his head and walked off to the kitchen, a smile threatening at the corners of his mouth.

~H~

She stood there with her back to her bedroom door, breathing in and out slowly to try to slow her pounding heart. She was close to hyperventilating. She didn't talk to men that way. She had never talked to men that way. But he was such an... _ass_! And she knew that Daryl was having a hard time dealing with it. It couldn't be easy for him at all to deal with Merle. Especially since Merle was like a dog with a bone! She wanted to like him. She wanted the two of them to get along as well as her and Daryl did. Well, maybe not that good, but she wanted them to at least be able to be nice to one another for Daryl's sake. And he refused. Because he was a big dumb jerk. She should have told him so while she was down there but she had stormed off before she could.

Today had already been more than she could handle and it wasn't even lunch time yet. How could things get so turned upside down in just one night? Would Merle feel this way about her if he didn't know what her and Daryl had done last night? Could that have had something to do with it? She doubted it. Did he think that she was just using Daryl? The thought had her scowling. It didn't matter why he acted the way he did. She wasn't going anywhere and there was nothing he could do to change her mind about that. This was her home and her life and she was happy here. She would keep being happy regardless of how upset that made him.

And she was absolutely finished trying to play nice. If he wanted to be an asshole then he could. Maybe she would practice being an asshole too. She didn't have to lay down and take things. She had done that her whole life and she was tired of it. She was tired in general. Last night had been mind blowing and eye opening but it hadn't been very restful. After closing the curtain to block out most of the sunlight she shimmied out of her jeans and climbed into bed in nothing but her panties and t-shirt. She would sleep for a while and then maybe she would get lucky and Merle and his big dumb mouth would be gone for the night. Surely he had someone else to torment.

Then her and Daryl would have the house to themselves. They could watch stupid movies and talk about stupid things and lounge around on the couch and not have to worry about Merle and his big mouth.


	25. Chapter 25

**I ended up not being busy today. I have some sort of funky flu instead so I didn't have to wait to update this. Fun stuff. This is just a filler chapter but hopefully you enjoy it anyway. Thanks for reading.**

 **Chapter Twenty Five**

She had been up there for hours and he was starting to get worried. Merle had finally came out of his room, moody and glaring, a few hours ago. He was going to just let Carol do the same thing Merle did and get over it on her own but it was getting late. He left Merle sprawled out on the couch. There was a Cops marathon on and Merle would sit there and watch it, yelling at the injustice of it all, for hours. Daryl didn't even know why he liked to watch the show when all he did was raise hell about police brutality, but if it got him out of Daryl's hair for a minute then he wasn't about to complain.

He hesitated outside her bedroom door and then finally tapped on it. He had never lived with a woman before so he wasn't sure if it was okay to just walk into a woman's room. Before last night he never would have but what else was there to hide, really?

He waited but when there was no answer to his second knock he went ahead and walked in. She was lying on her stomach with her head turned away from him. She must have planned on a long nap because, God help him, she was wearing nothing but a pair of panties and the shirt she had been wearing earlier. Underwear that barely covered her ass at all hugged the curve of her hip that he could see. His eyes followed the long line of her toned thighs. The urge to run his tongue over all of that exposed-

"Daryl?"

He looked up. She had turned her head without him realizing it and he'd been busted staring at her. He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, embarrassed at where his mind had been heading but powerless to keep it from heading there. "It's getting late. I didn't think you'd want to sleep much longer."

She sighed and then rolled over, stretching like a cat and folding her arms behind her head. She made no move to pull the shirt back down or hide herself. The room was much lighter than it had been last night and he drank in the sight of her. She looked down suddenly and gasped, sitting up and pulling her legs up until they were folded under her. She must not have remembered that she wasn't wearing pants. He felt bad when he saw how flushed her face was.

"Stop," he said, surprising himself by saying anything to her about it.

She blinked, her eyes wide. "Stop what?"

He held her gaze for a few moments before shrugging. "Hidin'."

She glanced towards the window where early evening light was shining in through a crack in the curtain. "I'm not."

He tilted his head at her defensive tone. "Yeah, you are." He sat down on the edge of the bed, grabbed her ankle and yanked her closer. "You forgettin' that I kind of already seen everything?" He quirked a brow at her.

She shook her head. "It was to dark for you to see everything," she scoffed and tried to pull her foot back but he held on tightly.

He smirked smugly. "You think so, huh?"

"Of course it was. The only light was the one in the bathroom and the door wasn't even opened very much so I know that you weren't doing very much ogling."

"You got a real faded birthmark right above your hipbone that's almost shaped like a heart, bout the size of a dime. You got a scar on your knee that you probably got years ago, bike wreck as a kid from the looks of it. I got one that looks like that too. You gotta lot of other scars too but nothing serious except the one way up high on your inner thigh. That one probably needed stitches."

"How could you have seen all that in the dark?" She asked, her eyes wide and her face flaming hotter.

He shrugged. "I have good eyes I guess."

She studied him with narrowed eyes and then she finally relaxed, leaning back on her arms. He could tell that she was schooling her features. He saw the worry in her eyes, even though she was trying hard to hide it. The worry bothered him. It bothered him because he understood it all too well. He felt that way a lot of the time but he didn't feel that way with her.

He scooted further onto the bed, leaning over her slightly. Her eyes grew wider and her tongue darted out, wetting her lips. Since it seemed obvious to him that she knew what he had been about to do and didn't seem to mind, he kissed her. He kept moving until she was forced to lower herself back down. He kept his hands on the bed, trapping her between his arms. She grabbed the sides of his face and pushed his head back. At least now she was smiling.

"Merle is down there. We can't do anything," she said, squirming up to get away from him since his arms were still trapping her. Something about the way she moved gave him the impression that she didn't really want to get away. Maybe it was how her pupils had grown large when he met her eyes. He'd had a rough day and so had she. What would it hurt to blow off a little steam?

~H~

Carol wasn't thrilled about Merle being downstairs. Mostly because she desperately wanted this and knew that she couldn't have it. She wasn't the type of woman that had an addictive personality but she thought she could easily get addicted to this. Addicted to _him_. The way he looked at her had her blood pounding hot in her veins and the feelings were so new that it gave her a rush like nothing she had ever felt before. He wanted her and she knew it. She still wasn't sure why but she wasn't going to ponder that too much. The fact was, he did and she wanted him just as badly, if not worse. She had never felt like this before and she craved it. All she could think about was his touch.

When he kissed her again it was slow, languid and full of promise. "Daryl," she mumbled against his lips. "Your brother could come up here any minute. We should go downstairs." She barely got the words out before her voice turned into a sigh of pleasure as his lips slid from her jaw to her neck. He was very good at distracting her.

"He's watchin' Cops. It's like stickin' a kid in front of cartoons. We got at least an hour. That might be enough time. You givin' him hell like that was a damn good start by the way. Let him know you ain't takin' his shit." His accent grew thicker.

She didn't protest when his hand slid her shirt up. There was no use in protesting because she didn't want him to stop. She could spend the rest of her life locked up here in this room doing this. She forgot to feel self conscious, despite the light pouring into the room. It was easy to forget when he seemed to find so much satisfaction in touching her. How flawed could she be if he responded like this to her? "I should get down there and cook dinner," she argued lamely, raising her arms so he could finish taking off her shirt.

"Yeah, you should get on that. I'm fuckin' starvin'," he said in a husky voice, slipping lower as his lips kissed a wet trail down the valley between her lace clad breasts. His large hands encased her rib cage and she squirmed, her breath coming quicker and she was barely able to resist lifting her hips into him. She wasn't used to wanting someone so badly that the need caused a physical ache inside of her.

He bit her lightly right above the waistband of the low slung panties and she fisted the sheets in her hands and clenched her teeth to keep from making any noise. Her mind flashed back to the things he'd used his mouth for last night. The way it felt when his lips were on her. It was more difficult to keep silent when his hand moved between her legs, his fingers moving over her skillfully through the rough material. He kissed her thigh, right on the scar he had mentioned earlier. She'd actually gotten that one the same day she had gotten the one on her knee and he was right. It had been a bike wreck from years ago.

She was surprised to feel her body tense with the pressure building low in her belly. He wasn't even touching her skin but it didn't seem to matter. His eyes shot up, locking onto hers as her breath started coming faster and faster. His eyes darkened, barely any blue showing at all. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as the electric sensation shot through her. It stunned her, much like the night before and she couldn't tear her gaze away from his while her body trembled under his touch. Not until she heard heavy boots hit the bottom step. Her eyes flicked to the door. She didn't want Merle to walk in but if Daryl stopped right now she would most likely die. It wasn't over yet.

"What the fuck do you two wanna do about food? I'm bout to starve to death down here!" Merle called from the middle of the stairs. He was still coming but... well... so was she.

And Daryl knew it too. She saw the torn look in his eyes and knew he would abandon her to keep his brother from storming in. As soon as Merle's boots hit the hallway she seemed to be spent and Daryl nearly launched himself off the bed with barely a backwards glance before he slipped out into the hallway. She was left lying there, wondering what the hell had just happened to her, not for the first time in the last twenty four hours.

She hurriedly put her clothes back on, checking her appearance in the mirror before darting out of the room. She found them in the kitchen. Merle was rummaging through the fridge and Daryl was sitting at the small kitchen table. She met Daryl's eyes, feeling her face flush and she couldn't believe that she could still feel embarrassed. The smirk on his face was smug but he schooled his features when his brother turned around.

"I was thinking about cooking spaghetti, Merle. Unless you want something else," she said, moving around him so she could get things together.

Merle grunted. "Make sure you wash your hands first. I know where they've been."

She rolled her eyes but ignored the barb. She did wash her hands but only because she was a sanitary person and not because he was a jerk. She worked silently, missing the easy air that seemed to envelope her and Daryl any time he lingered in the kitchen while she worked. That was gone though, replaced by a tension that she hated. They never knew what Merle was going to say next so it was easier just to keep quiet to avoid the storm that was Merle.

She still held onto hope that things may become easier between them. She wanted that for Daryl and she wouldn't stop trying until Merle physically picked her up and carried her out of the house and told her to hit the road. Since she didn't see that happening, she was going to do what she could to get along with him. For no other reason than to simply keep the peace. If he wasn't going to try to make Daryl's life easier then it was up to her. She sighed, stirring the sauce. She definitely had her work cut out for her.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Daryl kept an eye on his brother but he didn't seem to be in the mood to start anything anymore. Carol's cooking had actually impressed Merle, even though the man would never admit it. Daryl had seen it though right after he took the first bite. Having Merle around was at least a distraction. After what him and Carol had done up in her room he was itching to get her back up there but knew he wouldn't be able to do anything like that without Merle tormenting both of them. He had missed his brother but damn he was a pain in the ass sometimes. Or _all_ of the time. No sense in sugar coating it.

"I gotta say it, this is some damn good shit," Merle said, a strange gleam in his eye that had Daryl slipping lower in his chair. Merle wasn't complimenting her just to compliment her. He had something up his sleeve. Daryl hadn't expected him to say anything at all about the meal. This meant that Merle likely wasn't finished talking.

"Thank you," Carol said, watching him with eyes just as guarded as Daryl's were.

Merle nodded and continued eating. Carol caught his eye questioningly but all Daryl could do was shrug. She was smart enough to not trust Merle, anyway. She was a quick learner.

"It makes sense now," Merle went on without looking at either of them. He let the statement hang in the air between them.

Carol looked pained, like she knew that he wasn't being nice for her sake. "What makes sense?" She asked hesitantly.

He chewed his food thoughtfully. "Well, Daryl here may not have the track record to match my own but he's always had this love'em and leave'em rule. You know, meet some easy lay in a bar, go back to her place, bump uglies and then he slips back out. Hell, I've heard him lie about his name just so he wouldn't have to worry about some poor girl tryin' to look him up once he got his rocks off and left her there in a puddle. So imagine my surprise when I find out he's actually shackin' up with you. He's moved up from hoe's to housewives."

"Merle, what the fuck!" Daryl barked. He glared at him from across the table but Merle just looked at him.

"Am I lyin' baby brother?" He quirked one brow at him and that infuriatingly slow grin graced his usually stoic face. Daryl knew what he was doing now.

Daryl dared a glance at Carol but she was just staring at him, wide eyed and flushed. When he looked back at Merle that grin was still in place and Daryl wanted to slap it off. Merle winked. "Go ahead and tell her, little brother. You never was much for puttin' hands on a woman but damn if you didn't hurt the hell out of more than a few."

"Well," Carol said in a soft voice that had both men glancing her way. "That doesn't really matter." She shrugged. "I'm technically still a married woman. It's not like a jumped into bed with your brother because I want to play his girlfriend, Merle." She laughed and even though Merle couldn't see the pain in her eyes didn't mean Daryl couldn't. "Last night was just a one time thing that you happened to show up for. And it isn't happening again so no worries." She met Daryl's eyes as she said that last sentence, clearly giving him a message.

Daryl held her gaze, swallowing hard. He didn't know what the fuck to say now. Merle hadn't lied. He had never been the least bit interested in any kind of relationship before. He had never wanted to bother with females other than a means of release. He hadn't been as cold as Merle had but he had been kind of a piece of shit because he'd do exactly like Merle said. He'd get his rocks off and then he'd walk right out without a backwards glance.

But that was before that night on the road. That was long before he had ever met Carol. She was just now getting over some of her hang ups. He had just brushed the surface with her and she was already so much different than she had been even a week ago. And he could tell by the look in her eyes that all of that was wiped away. With one stupid conversation with Merle, she was pulling back.

"That was a long time ago," he said, glaring at his brother.

Merle chuckled. "Come on, Daryl. Me and you both know how this is all gonna work out. And I wasn't locked up for too damn long and right before that happened there were those twins. Remember? Jesus Christ, I do..."

"That ain't got nothin' to do with what the fuck happens now and you goddamn know it," Daryl growled.

"Come on," Merle wasn't going to let this go and he was five seconds away fro smashing his plate into his face. "You think I don't see what's happened here? You've always had me around. I went away for a while and you got off track."

"You dumb bastard, how the fuck do you figure? I have more now than I ever have before!" Daryl said from between clenched teeth.

Merle settled back in his chair, smiling lazily. "And it's because of Carol here. She helped you out so now you're payin' her back with a few favors. Hey, you don't gotta explain yourself to me."

Carol stood up and flashed both of them a tight smile. "Merle, it isn't anything you need to argue with him over. Maybe now that you're back the two of you can just pick up where you left off. I'm just here to pay my half of the bills and get on with my own life. I don't expect anything to change between you and your brother."

Daryl winced. He had never been in this kind of situation before so he had no clue how to do damage control. Hell, it wouldn't even do him any good to try since Merle would just keep going and make things even worse. He hadn't put much thought into where him and Carol were going but now he realized that he expected it to go somewhere. Somewhere he'd never gone to before. He wanted her around. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to show her that she could have someone that wouldn't do the things to her that Ed had done. This was why he had been trying to escape her room last night. He hadn't wanted to make that leap with her without thinking about it first. And now she thought he had just slept with her because he was horny and she happened to be there. It didn't look like she remembered that he had tried to put a stop to it.

"Besides," she said as she stacked all of their empty plates. "That was all my idea anyway. He didn't really want to do it. I just wanted to see what it was like to be with another man. I did so now things can just go back to how they were."

~H~

Carol lingered in the living room with them even though she wanted nothing more than to take her book up to her room and sulk for the rest of the night. She wasn't tired but she really wished she was. It would be nice to just go to sleep and forget the whole day. Everything was getting complicated and messed up now that Merle was here and she could tell that he loved it. No matter how she had felt the night before, she would take it all back to not feel like this.

She had told Merle the truth. Or part of the truth anyway. She had been the one dying to know what it would be like to be with Daryl. She had pressured him into every move. But she always felt so good about herself when she was with him and she wanted to know what it was like to be with a man like him. She wanted to know that it wasn't ever her. That it had always been Ed that was the problem. And he had. And now she didn't feel like even their fleeting friendship would survive Merle.

"I think I'm gonna call it a night," she said as she stood up. Daryl had been sitting much to close to her and it was almost painful. She didn't want to think about what Merle had said. She didn't want to know about all of the women that Daryl had used. She didn't want to think about it because she didn't want to feel like just maybe she was one of them. Just another notch on his bedpost.

"It's early. Hell, it ain't even nine yet," Merle said as his eyes met hers.

She shrugged. "There isn't anything else to do."

She glanced at Daryl but he was watching Merle, that same anger burning in his eyes that had been there since dinner. Merle stood up. "Sure there is."

"Merle," Daryl warned.

Merle shot him a look. "Hey just because you have a live in piece of ass don't mean I do. I'm hittin' the bar, brother. You two up for a few drinks?"

Carol shook her head. "I don't drink. Actually there's a bottle in the top of the cabinet, you can have it. You and Daryl should go, though. You guys haven't spent very much time together and I wouldn't know what to do in a place like that."

Before either of them could say anything else she grabbed her book off the end table and high tailed it up the stairs. She wasn't about to even flirt with the idea of going anywhere with Merle and Daryl. She had been to bars before back before she had met Ed. That was back when she had had friends and some semblance of a life of her own. It had been fun but she wasn't the same person she was back then. She didn't like crowds and she didn't want to deal with women hitting on Daryl right in front of her. Especially now that Merle had let the cat out of the bag.

She changed into some pajamas and settled into bed with the book, knowing that she wouldn't be able to follow along with the story. She grimaced at herself when she heard the truck start up. Her heart sank and she chastised herself for caring that Daryl was probably going to meet some woman tonight. Some woman that didn't have the same problems that Carol had. Some woman that he didn't have to be so careful with. Some slut that didn't give a damn about him at all that he could screw and then walk out on as soon as it was over. She didn't want to care but she did and it made her more angry at herself than it should have.

A knock at the door had her jumping, dropping the book onto the blanket. For one terrified moment she was sure that somehow Ed had figured out where she was living and had been waiting for a chance to come into the house and beat her to death. Then she remembered that Ed was likely in jail and even if he wasn't he was far to lazy to lay in wait just in case she was left alone. Her fear morphed into relief because if someone was knocking then it was likely Daryl and if he was knocking that meant he hadn't ran off with his brother.

"Come in," she called lightly, staying right where she was.

He walked right into her room and slammed the door behind him, causing her to flinch and then press her lips together in an angry line. Who did he think he was coming in here like she was the one that had done something wrong! Technically neither of them had done anything wrong so she didn't know what his problem could be.

"We need to talk," he said, hands on his hips as he stared down at her.

She sat up straighter and eyed him levelly. "There isn't anything we need to talk about."

He rolled his eyes and then ran a hand through his hair. She hated how sexy that made him look. "You're pissed about what Merle said," he said, his voice incredulous.

"I'm not mad, Daryl. I was a little disappointed at first but I'm over it. What you do is your business. Who you do it with is your business and what you do when your finished, well, that's your business too."

"I don't do that!"

"Well, it would be ridiculous if you had tried last night. We already live together so there isn't anywhere for you to go. I understand and I'm not mad. I just want to read my book." She kept her voice calm even though her heart was pounding hard in her chest and she felt like throwing the damn thing at him. She didn't even know why because it wasn't his fault that she was overly sensitive.

"So that's that then?" he asked, his voice devoid of anger.

"What do you want to hear? I understand, okay. What we did, that was exactly what I said it was. I asked for that. No strings attached and nothing has to get weird between us. We're friends and we're roommates."

He held her gaze for a few long moments and she hoped he would leave soon so she wouldn't have to keep up her charade. The truth was, she wanted more. It didn't make any sense for her to want more because they hadn't known each other long and she had just gotten out of a horrible relationship. She cleared her throat. "I think we should probably let things cool off a little. Maybe we should just... I don't know. I just want to forget that it ever happened. I needed you and you were here. That's all." She wasn't sure what else to say but she could tell by the look on his face that he understood.

"If that's what you want," he said, his tone was clipped but she thought she saw a genuine spark of hurt in his eyes.

She wanted to tell him that what Merle said didn't matter to her. She wanted to tell him that she wanted him to get in bed so they could finish what he had started before dinner. But she didn't. This was all moving way too fast and it was starting to cloud her judgment. What she needed to focus on right now was starting her life over and making sure she stayed far away from Ed. She didn't need to dive head first into some physical relationship with a man she had known a few weeks. Too bad she hadn't told herself that last night. But what Merle had said got her to thinking. She would have never guessed that Daryl was capable of doing what Merle accused him of doing. There was still a lot about him that she didn't know yet and she needed to figure all of that out before she fell for him even harder than she had fallen for him already. If that were even possible. "Goodnight, Daryl. I'll see you in the morning." She said instead of voicing any of her thoughts.

He ran his hand through his hair one more time and then nodded. "'Night, Carol."

She was able to wait until he pulled the door closed before the tears started.

 **Before you decide to lynch me, remember that I'm sick and it's rude to murder sick people! Besides, bump in the road. That's all this is! Thanks for reading.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

Daryl couldn't lie to himself. He knew exactly when things had gotten out of hand. It had been that very first night that he had fallen asleep with her on the couch. That was what started this mess. That was when things had tipped over that precarious line. A line that he had drawn himself, for God's sake! How the hell could he have let things get so blurred? He knew what the outcome would be if he moved as fast as he had wanted too. Then there was the brilliant idea he had, crawling in bed with her when she'd had a nightmare. In his defense that one hadn't been his fault because she had been terrified. Not to mention the bad habit he had picked up where he was casually putting his hands on her every goddamn chance he got. And the whole time he had been telling himself to slow his role. He had told himself over and over to stop letting his relationship with her snowball. But he hadn't listened to himself and now here he was, a week after they had slept together, sitting at home by himself.

Things hadn't been as tense as he thought they would be. He expected her to act much different than she had those first few weeks they had lived in the house. But she hadn't. Things seemed to go right back to where they had been before they had had sex and he didn't understand how the hell she did it. He found himself hyper aware of every goddamn move she made. He watched her constantly. And he wished like crazy that she would sneak into his room and tell him that she had made a mistake and that she wanted to give them a real shot. But she never came. She would greet him every morning like she always did, coffee in hand. She still cooked his meals and sometimes she'd even pick up his mess when he wasn't quick enough. The only thing that changed was she was always careful not to touch him. Not even in that easy casual way that she used to touch him and it was driving him insane.

Merle still didn't hide the fact that he didn't want her there. He wasn't as vocal about it as he had been before and every once in a while Daryl would catch his older brother watching him from the corner of his eye. There were times when Daryl suspected that Merle even felt bad about trying to sabotage things between Daryl and Carol. Actually, he hadn't only tried to sabotage things. He had succeeded. He had shown up fresh out of jail and in less than twenty four hours he had pissed on everything Daryl had been trying to build with the woman.

He hit the power button on the remote, turning off the television and stood up. He wasn't worn out from work since he wasn't doing double shifts and it wasn't even dark out yet and there wasn't a damn thing to do. She was efficient when it came to keeping the house immaculate and she seemed to actually enjoy it. Last night he had walked in to find her on her hands and knees, scrubbing the baseboards. Who the fuck did that? But the view had halted him and he hadn't lingered. He wasn't a masochist. He had turned right back around and stayed in the kitchen until she moved on to less erotic cleaning.

He made his way to the kitchen, opening up the fridge and reaching for a beer. They always had beer since Merle was around. Not that Merle was here now. Right now Merle was apparently out with Carol. When he had gotten home from work the Jeep was gone and he had found a note from Carol posted to the fridge that she had needed to pick up a few things for the house and Merle had insisted on going with her. Daryl was a little surprised that Merle had tagged along but then again, Merle knew how Daryl felt about her and he probably went with her as a favor. Daryl didn't want her out alone if she could help it. They never knew when Ed would figure out a way to do something to her. Maybe Merle felt guilty enough to at least keep an eye on her when Daryl couldn't do it himself.

He sat there at the table, rolling the can between his hands and sulking. It was okay to sulk now that there wasn't anyone around to watch him do it. He used to like the isolation. He enjoyed the solitude and the quiet. Now that he was used to having someone else around it just felt depressing. Very depressing.

He found himself glancing around the kitchen, hoping he would spot something that needed fixed but everything was fine. Then his eyes landed on the cabinet where Carol had stashed the liquor last week.

"Fuck it," he muttered as he stood up and pulled down the bottle. If he was going to sit around alone feeling sorry for himself then he may as well do it like a man and get drunk enough to pass out and forget this shitty week had ever happened.

~H~

Merle felt like a pansy ass. When she had said that she had wanted to pick up a few things from the store he thought she meant the grocery store. He thought it would be a quick trip. He only made up an excuse to go with her because he knew that Daryl felt something for her and he knew that if that husband of hers caught her out alone he'd likely fuck her up pretty good. And even though Merle wasn't fond of the woman, didn't trust her for a goddamn second, he wasn't about to let someone physically hurt her. He wasn't an animal. So he had dutifully accompanied her, for his brother's sake, and now he was paying for it.

"The next mother fucker that walks by gawking at me like I'm some kind of side show freak is getting throat punched," he said, making sure he spoke loud enough so the staring group of teenagers they were passing could hear him.

Carol glanced up at him and he could tell she was embarrassed. "Maybe if you didn't go out of your way to dress like a serial killer then people wouldn't stare."

He glanced down at his simple black ensemble. "I ain't dressed like a serial killer. I'm dressed in clothes. Why the fuck did you drag me to a goddamn mall? You really hate me that bad?"

"Yes, actually, I do and I didn't drag you here. I told you I needed to pick a few things up and you said you needed to get out of the house. I didn't specify where I was going."

"Well next time you should specify where we're goin' so I can have you drop me off somewhere else," he grumbled.

"Noted," she said dryly.

The place was packed since it was a Friday and he decided to pass the time people watching. That lasted all of ten minutes as she window shopped. He saw two men walking right down the middle of the isle, holding hands and giggling at each other. He scowled as he watched them.

"Merle, stop it!" Carol hissed.

His scowled deepened when one man whispered something into the other one's ear, causing the other one to slap at his boyfriends chest playfully. "Jesus Christ. I bet you have a bigger dick than either of them."

"Oh my God," Carol cried as she grabbed his arm and steered him into a store. "Merle, please!" She wailed.

The two men looked at him with disgust since they had heard what he said. He made a move like he was going to spring on them and they jumped, hurrying away. He chuckled as they ran off, glancing over their shoulders to make sure he wasn't chasing them. Well, that was the most fun he'd had all damn day. She let go of his arm. "Why are you acting like you've never been in public!"

He snorted and glanced around the store she had dragged him to. It was something like a hardware store and it at least sparked his interest. "I've been in public. It's just that my kind of public and your kind of public are two different things. Hell, even the pole jumpers in prison didn't walk around like those two-"

"Okay, Merle. We can just leave. I'll come back some other time," she said quickly.

"What? You didn't even get anything! You dragged me here just so you could look around?" He was outraged.

She sighed and shook her head. "I didn't drag you here! I can't stress that enough. And I can't shop if I have to keep watching you like a child to keep you out of trouble. We'll just go home."

He shook his head and glanced around the shop again. "Tell you what, tell me where you're gonna be, I'll hang around in here and keep my mouth shut and you can go buy whatever frilly bullshit you need to get. When you're done just come back and get me. Deal?"

She looked at him skeptically. "Can you please avoid-" She glanced around, "Everyone? If you get into any kind of trouble while you're with me then your brother won't forgive me. For some reason he cares about you."

Merle scoffed. "Don't act like you give a shit about him. All I had to do was bait your ass one time and you dropped him like he was trash. But yeah, I'll just look around, _mom_. No worries."

She looked genuinely hurt by his words. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something and then closed it, shaking her head angrily before storming off back out into the traffic of people. He didn't give a damn whether she liked what he had to say. He still didn't think it was a good idea to have her around. She was loaded down with so much fucking baggage it'd take a tractor trailer to hold it all and his brother didn't need that shit.

With a clear conscience he started meandering down the isles, looking at nothing in particular. There was a case of knives that caught his eye so he spent the next fifteen minutes there looking at the display. He nearly had one picked out when he heard an angry voice in the next isle.

"Well look who it is? You look more and more like the whore you are every time I see you. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were following me. You trying to impress me? What happened to your boyfriend? I don't see him here so ready to help you out."

Merle didn't recognize the voice and he was about to keep looking at the knives when he heard someone's muttered response. He didn't hear what she said but he recognized this voice because he was stuck listening to it every damn day. He abandoned the knives and walked around so he could hear a little better and sneak a peak at, who he expected, was Carol's husband.

"You ready to get your ass back home now? It's been three weeks and you've had your fun. I'm not signing those papers either. You're bought and paid for bitch. You're mine." Ed's voice was low but Merle had good ears. And surprisingly, he felt his blood spike with anger. He didn't much care for Carol but his brother did and this mother fucker had no business talking to her like that. Another thing he noticed was Carol's demeanor. She had her back to him but he saw that her head was down. This pissed him off even further. Any time he ever gave her any shit she dished it right back at him. It was how they were with each other. But she had never looked afraid and he could tell by her stance that she was scared now.

"Just leave me alone, Ed. You aren't allowed to even speak to me. I just want to go."

The tone of her voice had Merle stepping into the isle. This shit was finished. Daryl had a little bit more control than Merle did. At the moment, he didn't give a goddamn who saw it, he was gonna feed this son of a bitch his teeth.

Ed reached out then, grabbing her by the upper arm and even Merle could see the grip he had on her was a painful one. She pushed at his chest, and tried to wrestle out of his grip but it was no use. Merle was still about fifteen feet away when suddenly, Ed was being jerked away from her from behind. Ed broke his hold on Carol and she stumbled backwards but Merle was there in time to steady her. He didn't even have time to step around her and knock Ed's head clean off his shoulders.

There was a guy he'd never seen before, sweeping Ed's feet out from under him and causing him to drop on his ass. His arm was jerked behind him and Ed cried out in pain. Merle looked on in disgust as the man knelt down, leaning into Ed's face angrily.

"I don't know who the hell you are or what that woman is to you but you won't be putting hands on her in front of me, you understand what I'm telling you, mister?" The guy growled, his face close to Ed's.

Ed didn't make a move but the man suddenly let go of him and stood up, turning and sweeping his gaze over Carol. He picked up the bags that Merle hadn't even seen her drop and walked towards her, leaving Ed there to help himself up off the floor.

The man stopped a few feet away and recognition lit his features. "Carol?"

Merle looked down and saw that Carol clearly recognized the man that had came to her rescue. "Abe?" She blinked and then took a step closer before she was suddenly swept up in a hug.

Merle grimaced. He didn't trust red heads.

The man, Abe, finally backed away and for the first time saw Merle standing there. He met his eyes briefly and then turned back to Carol. "What's it been? Ten years?"

Carol nodded. "At least. You moved away from the old neighborhood about that long ago."

Abe glanced over his shoulder and Merle followed his gaze. Ed had crawled off somewhere and it was only the three of them in the isle now. "Who the hell was that guy?" Abe asked once he turned back to Carol.

She shook her head. "It's a long story, but thank you."

Abe glanced down at his watch and cursed. "Damn it. I don't have time for long stories right now. Is this your husband?" He motioned towards Merle, who was still scowling.

"God no!"

Merle looked down at her. She didn't have to sound that damn put off by the idea. He wasn't much but he was a better catch than Ed ever would be. "I Just live with her. Actually the asshole you just pulled off her is her husband," Merle said, taking satisfaction in the look of horror on Carol's face.

"Soon to be ex husband actually and Merle and I are just roommates," she corrected quickly.

Abe looked down at his watch again. "I have to go but is there any way I can call you? Maybe we can get together and catch up some time?"

"That sounds great," Carol said, sounding thrilled that this guy wanted to keep in touch.

Merle watched the exchange with narrowed eyes. Daryl was gonna blow a fucking gasket over this shit. And he was going to blame Merle for the whole damn thing.

 ***Slight Story Spoiler Warning***

 **Just a heads up, there isn't any drama other than what our dear Merle stirs up in this. I feel like I'm giving spoilers to this story but I don't want anyone to worry that I'd add someone new to a story for either character to date or anything. A lot of my readers don't want to see anything like that and I don't either so I wanted to reassure them. Most of you know me better already. Abe being there was more to get Merle thinking than anything else. He needs a kick in the ass. Or the head. lol**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

Carol ignored the looks Merle kept shooting her way during the drive home. She kept her mouth shut and she kept her eyes on the road. She didn't want him asking about Abe Ford because there wasn't anything to really say about the man and Merle wouldn't ever believe it. He was the type of guy that turned everything into something disgusting. Her and Abe had grown up in the same town and went to the same school their whole lives. He had moved away when his father had passed away. They had been close friends but that was it. They hadn't ever been in a relationship or anything.

"So, you and Big Red ever fucked?" Merle asked, his voice nothing but innocent.

She shot him a look. "No Merle. A man and a woman can be friends without something like that happening. Him and I grew up together. We had the same friends. He was always nice to me and that was it."

"You and Daryl weren't friends for long before you fucked him," he said innocently.

She scowled. "I'm not talking about this with you, Merle. Just drop it."

He was quiet for a while but the silence must have started to get to him. "So that was Ed, huh?"

She sighed. She wanted to forget that she had ever seen him. She wished that she could just avoid the man forever but that wasn't likely to happen. At least Merle had been with her. She knew Merle didn't like her very much but she had also seen the look in his eyes when Abe had gotten Ed on the ground. She knew that today, Ed had been lucky that he had dealt with someone like Abe and not Merle. "That was him."

He was quiet again for a few tense moments. "Can I ask you somethin'? No bull shittin'?"

She smiled grimly and glanced at him. "Sure, Merle."

"You were with that cock sucker for five years? He beat you stupid and I know that ain't all he did to you. Why the fuck stay? I don't get it."

She bit her lip. What kind of answer could she give him when she didn't even have a good answer to give herself? "I think I just got used to it. You hear enough times that no one would ever want you and you're useless, worthless, things like that, eventually you start to believe it. And where could I go? I have no family and I had no friends. Until that night Daryl stopped to help me off the side of the road I had barely spoken to anyone other than Ed in years."

Merle studied her. "Did you use my brother to get yourself away from that asshole?"

She put the Jeep in park next to Daryl's truck and turned fully in her seat, meeting Merle's eyes. "I would never do anything like that. Not to anyone and especially not to him."

He kept staring at her, making no move to open the door. She felt the need to really explain herself to him and she didn't even know why. She couldn't stand him and he didn't make it a secret that he couldn't stand her either.

"All of this," she gestured towards the yard and the house, "All if it just kind of happened, you know? It was like a domino affect. You have to understand that. The night he gave me a ride home I ended up leaving my purse in his truck. He looked up my number and called me to let me know he had it and I went to his house to get it. I was only going to stay long enough to get the stupid purse and then leave. I didn't want to talk to him, really. I was afraid. But he'd made coffee and then asked if I wanted some and when I started talking to him, I didn't want to stop. He listened. He didn't look at me the way other people looked at me, you know? There wasn't any judgment there. There wasn't even pity even though I knew he knew what was happening to me."

He didn't say a word and she felt an overwhelming need to tell him more. She needed him to know. For some reason she needed this man to understand her.

"I left but before I got back home I felt so angry. Angry that it had been so long since I had had a friend to talk to. Angry that I was about to willingly walk right back into that house and wait for the next blow. So I turned around and I walked right back to Daryl's house. I knew the price I'd pay if Ed found out but I wanted too... no," she shook her head and realized that there were tears in her eyes. She brushed them away angrily. "I _needed_ to go back. So he took me to that little diner and I swear, it was one of the best days of my life. I met Tara and I met Hershel and Annette. We shared ice cream." She let go of a shaky tearful laugh and shook her head.

The corner of Merle's mouth turned up slightly, which surprised her. She had been expecting him to mock her. She had expected him to criticize her. But he didn't. For once since the day she had met him, he looked like he was really hearing her.

"He made me feel like what I said mattered. He made me feel like things could be better. I didn't mean to suck him into my life, Merle. If you never believe another word that I say, believe that. I knew I should stay away from him. It was that next morning that things got bad. Ed was... worse than usual. I hadn't been able to sleep well that night, I guess from all the excitement. I overslept and Ed was furious..." She swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat. "He, uh... It was pretty bad. I guess the stars aligned in my favor though because Ed and his friend ended up at the same gas station as Daryl. Daryl heard them laughing about what Ed had done to me and then..." She glanced at the house, a sad smile on her face as she remembered that day.

"Then what?"

Her eyes slid back to his. "Then he came and pretty much forced me out of the house. He made me pack a bag and he took me out of there. I never asked him to. I begged him to just leave but he wouldn't. I knew what kind of burden I was going to be. I didn't want to do that to him. I didn't want him to be involved in the mess that I had created. But he wouldn't take no for an answer. I never asked him to do what he's done for me. I would never ask anyone for that. You don't have to like me, Merle. I just can't stand the thought of you thinking that I would ever do anything to hurt him or put him in a spot that I knew he didn't want to be in because I never would. He's the best person I've ever met." She was forced to wipe more tears away and it was becoming increasingly hard to talk through the lump in her throat.

He finally looked away from her, towards the house. "I'll be damned," he muttered. He looked more troubled than she had ever seen him look before.

"What?" She asked, holding her breath and waiting for him to lay into her in that harsh way of his. She braced herself for the storm of words that would surely pour down on her. If nothing else she expected him to laugh in her face because she was openly crying like an idiot.

"Nothin'," he muttered as he opened the door and climbed out of the Jeep.

She hurried out, grabbing her bags and trying to catch up to him. "Not nothing," she said, grabbing his arm.

He kept walking until they were on the steps and then he stopped, almost causing her to slip on the ice that had accumulated since last time they had cleaned the steps off. "You're all love struck and shit. This whole time I thought you were tryin' to suck everything you could outta him. I didn't think you gave two shits about him at all. I don't like bein' wrong. It pisses me the fuck off cause it don't happen very often."

She scoffed, shaking her head. "He's my best friend, Merle. I love him but I'm not love struck. That's ridiculous."

He shook his head, his eyes troubled. "You two are blind as bats. I walked in and fucked shit up thinkin' I was lookin' out for him. No wonder he's been so goddamn mopey."

She actually felt sorry for him. He looked so upset that she placed a hand on his arm. "Merle, you didn't do anything. Things were just moving too fast. Who knows, if you hadn't shown up we could have really messed up our friendship."

He snorted but he didn't pull away from her touch the way she thought he would. "At the rate the two of you were movin' if I hadn't shown up then you'd probably be married by now."

She was about to say something else when the door opened and a very unsteady Daryl took them in with a narrow eyed gaze. "The fuck have you two been? You know how borin' it is here alone?"

Carol felt her eyes grow wide at his slurred words.

"Oh shit," Merle muttered.

Daryl stepped away from the doorway so they could go inside. Her eyes scanned the room and spotted the half empty bottle of whiskey on the table. "Oh, Daryl," she said picking up the bottle. "You drank all of this on your own?"

He collapsed onto the couch, slumping. "I did. Where the fuck were you two?"

"Pollyanna here dragged me off to the goddamn mall. It was hell. Be glad you weren't the one stuck with her," Merle said quickly. He gave Carol a look that was actually unnecessary. He was warning her not to mention Ed and she already knew better.

"It wasn't so bad," she said meekly. She sat down on the couch next to him and he instantly tried to grab the bottle from her. She held it out of his reach and thankfully Merle walked past the back of the couch and took it instead.

He walked towards the kitchen. "You're gonna puke, baby brother. You forgettin' the last time you drank this shit?" He called over his shoulder.

Daryl scowled and swiped a hand over his face. "It's fuckin' hot in here. You think it's hot in here?"

Carol shook her head, watching him carefully. "No, I don't. Maybe you should go lay down. I'll hook up your fan and you can cool off."

He looked up, meeting her eyes unsteadily. "Why the hell did you have to listen to Merle? It don't make any damn sense why you'd listen to anything he had to say instead of listenin' to me."

She felt herself growing more and more nervous. She had been all for drinking with him before but now that he was actually quite obviously drunk, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of drunk he would be. Would he take offense to anything she said? Would he get mad at her? Drunk people did and said things they normally never would do or say. "We can talk about it tomorrow, okay?" She said, trying to placate him.

He sighed heavily and glanced around. "Where the hell did you put the whiskey?"

"Merle put it away. You've had enough for the night." She didn't realize it but she was fidgeting with her hands. The only reason she realized it at all was because his hand shot out and covered both of hers with his own.

He stared down at at their hands, frowning deeply. When he looked back up she couldn't read his expression. "Don't do that."

"I'm sorry," she breathed.

He shook his head. "Don't do that either." He pulled his hand away quickly. "Are you seriously afraid of me? What the hell did I do?" He sounded upset but not angry.

She shook her head quickly. "Nothing. You didn't do anything. I'm not afraid of you."

He shook his head and stood up, swaying on his feet. She stood up with him, just in case he was going to fall over. "You get all fidgety when you get scared or nervous and you keep your eyes down and you apologize a lot."

She looked up at him, her heart fluttering slightly. She had avoided being close to him for the whole week. Now he was right there in front of her and he seemed so eager to reassure her that there wasn't anything in him to fear that it broke her heart a little. "I'm not afraid of you. I'm just tired is all."

He blew out a heavy breath and was about to turn towards the stairs when he lost his balance and nearly fell into her. By sheer luck Merle happened to come out of nowhere and grabbed him by the arms, steadying him before Daryl could fall and take her out with him.

"I gotcha, brother. Let's get your ass upstairs before you break everything in the house." Daryl didn't look too happy about it but he let Merle lead him to the stairs.

He stopped before taking the first step, turning quickly so he was facing Merle who had no choice but to steady him again. "Why couldn't you have just been decent when you got back, Merle? Why'd you have to show up and then fuck everything up for me? I tried to figure it out but I can't cause I've always been a good brother to you. I ain't never fucked you over and I ain't never fucked you outta somethin' you wanted. Why'd you do that to me?"

Carol saw the guilt in Merle's eyes then. There wasn't really anything he could say at the moment. Not anything Daryl would be willing to hear anyway so he just shook his head. Carol covered her mouth with her hand when Daryl shoved Merle away from him, expecting Merle to lash out.

"I can get up the fuckin' stairs myself. Trust me, I don't need no more of your bullshit help, Merle." He turned and grabbed the banister, swaying for a second before he took a few unsteady steps.

Carol watched as Merle followed him anyway, staying close in case he fell. This was going to be a long night. She could already tell.

 **The thaw has began. Well, it has began with Merle at least. The weather, however, has turned frigid. That messes up my internet so I'm posting early. Hope everyone had a great weekend. If I can I'll post again tonight.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

Carol followed them up the stairs. She actually felt bad for Merle. It wasn't his fault. Not really. He had thought he had been looking out for Daryl. Of course, he had gone about it the wrong way but still, in his own way, he was trying to be a good brother.

Once Daryl was safely upstairs Merle turned around to head back down. He didn't say a word as he passed her. She wanted to tell him that Daryl didn't mean it but she wisely kept her mouth shut about it. Tonight they seemed to finally get over a hurdle. She was pretty sure that he didn't dislike her as much as he had that morning. He understood her better now and she was happy for it. She had given up hope that he would ever come around and accept the fact that she wasn't going anywhere. He had assumed that she was just using Daryl to get away. She thought now he understood that it didn't happen like that.

Daryl stumbled into his bedroom and slammed the door shut, causing her to jump. She had never dealt with a regular drunken man before. She had dealt with a drunken Ed plenty of times but Daryl was a different species altogether. She tapped on his door.

"Go the hell away you dick!" He called. "I'm not fighting with you tonight. Go fuck yourself."

Carol raised a brow at that. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. He was lying on his stomach on his bed, fully dressed. When he cracked open one eye and saw that it was her he raised his head with a groan.

"Oh. You don't have to go fuck yourself. I thought you were Merle," he elaborated.

She smiled. "I thought so. You could come up with a better name to call me other than dick, I'm sure."

He barked out a laugh and rolled over. "You said dick."

"So did you," she crossed her arms over her chest, unsure exactly what she was suppose to be doing in here.

"Yeah, but I say dick all the time. You don't ever cuss. I've only heard you say damn and that was when you were pissed about somethin'."

"Do you feel okay?" She asked, not really in the mood to stand there and discuss curse words with him.

"I feel drunk and feelin' drunk is better than what I've been feelin'," he answered with a sigh.

She frowned, feeling an intense stab of guilt but ignored it for now. "You should listen to your brother and get some sleep." She knew that the week had been hard on him. It had been hard on her too but things would get better. They would be able to salvage their friendship. Maybe eventually they would even be able to have some kind of relationship, but right now it wasn't time for that. Everything had moved much too fast and even though Merle went about it the wrong way, she didn't need to jump into a relationship with a man so soon after she had left her husband. They needed to build something before they made that leap. As cliché as it sounded, Merle only helped her realize that she needed to find herself before she was able to be with him.

"I ain't sleepy," he said.

She sat down on the side of the bed. "You sound sleepy," she said with a small smile. Without thinking she pushed his hair back off his forehead. He grabbed her wrist and gently pushed her hand away, shaking his head slightly. The gesture stung but she understood it. Just that small touch had a startling impact on her so maybe he felt it too. "Sorry," she whispered, making sure her hands stayed in her lap, no matter how much she wanted to touch him.

"Me too," he muttered, looking away.

She sat there for a few more moments before she stood up. "I think I'm gonna go on to bed, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

He sat up, a grimace on his face. "I think I'm gonna puke."

Before she could say anything he launched himself off the bed and was gone. She felt bad for him and she was starting to think that maybe she didn't want to try alcohol. She heard him heaving behind the partially closed bathroom door so she hurried downstairs. Merle was sprawled out on the couch, snoring softly. She fixed a glass of water and grabbed a box of crackers from the pantry. He was still in the bathroom when she came back up so she left the water and crackers on the nightstand in his room.

"You okay in there?" She called softly, tapping on the door. It opened a little further and she was able to see him on his knees on the floor with his head hanging over the toilet bowl.

He coughed and nodded, reaching up without looking to flush. Her heart went out to him and she stepped into the room. His stomach must have disagreed because he started heaving again. Nothing came up though and she pitied him even more. She remembered one brutal night that Ed had hit her in the stomach so hard that she had spent a few hours in the same position Daryl was in, heaving over the toilet with nothing coming up. It was painful.

She sat down on the edge of the tub and pressed a cold washcloth to the back of his neck, using her other hand to rub circles into his back.

He groaned. "You can go to bed, Carol. This ain't the first time I've puked."

"I'm not leaving you alone until you're feeling better and are back in your bed," she said, not making a move to leave.

He sighed but it wasn't long before he was dry heaving again. She sat there until he finally seemed to be a little better. "You can go now," he grumbled, hesitantly standing up and then leaning against the counter.

She ignored him, holding out his toothbrush. He rolled his eyes but he turned the water on anyway, rinsing out his mouth with water before snatching the brush from her and going to work on scrubbing the yuck out of his mouth. He didn't seem to be anymore sober despite the fact that he had thrown up all of the alcohol he had consumed. There was still enough rushing through his veins.

"You'll thank me in the morning when you wake up and your mouth doesn't taste like vomit," she said as she followed him back to his room. He ignored her and fell gracelessly onto his back once he reached his bed.

"There. You ain't gotta babysit me anymore. I'm a big boy that can go to sleep on my own."

She went to the foot of the bed and started untying his work boots. When she looked up he was frowning at her but he didn't object when she removed his boots.

"I'm surprised you ain't got a bunch of kids, as much as you like motherin' me all the time."

The flash of pain was deep. Her hands stilled on his other boot and her breath caught in her throat. She swallowed it all down and forced a smile. "I wanted that. Badly. I lost a baby three years ago and I made sure to keep up with birth control so that I wouldn't get pregnant again. Maybe if my life would have turned out a little differently, I would be a mother. I don't mean to mother you... I just-"

"Jesus, I'm sorry," he choked, sitting up quickly. "I shouldn't have said that."

She cleared her throat. "You couldn't have known that." She blinked in surprise and met his eyes. "Actually, no one knows that. No one at all. I don't know why I told you that. Forget I said anything."

He ran a hand through his hair and he looked miserable. She felt horrible for revealing that to him, especially while he was drunk. She had no idea why she had said it. She never let herself think about that. She wordlessly handed him the glass of water and now he didn't even argue. He looked like he wanted to argue when she forced him to eat some of the crackers but he didn't say a word. Once he was finished he stripped off his shirt and finally let his back hit the sheets again.

"You gonna be okay?" She asked as she stood up.

He nodded. "Yeah."

Before she turned off the light he rolled over onto his stomach. With her finger hovering over the light switch she let her eyes roam over him one last time. Her hand dropped to her side and she frowned when she noticed something that she hadn't until now. She had seen him naked but she had never gotten a view of his back. There were scars there, angry and raised.

She made her way back over to the bed and he turned his head so he could look at her. "Thought you were leavin'," he muttered drunkenly.

Without a word her fingertip grazed over the largest of the scars. He grew very still and cursed under his breath. "Who?" She asked in a low voice. These weren't accidental scars. These were left by violence. She knew it. Things clicked into place in her mind just then. This was why he had been so adamant about her leaving Ed. It explained how he knew about her life even before she ever said anything to him. It explained why he was so willing to go above and beyond to help her.

"Who what?" He asked, even though she knew that he knew full well what she was asking.

"Who did this to you?"

"Don't matter. That was a long time ago."

"It matters to me," she said quietly after a few long moments, but when she looked at his face his eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply. She bent down and kissed his forehead, a deep sadness welling up inside of her.

She didn't understand why people had to be so cruel. There was no reason for it. It had never made any sense to her. It never made any sense why Ed had been so cruel and it didn't make any sense to her why anyone would do something like that to Daryl.

She made her way through the house, checking the locks on the doors and windows. Seeing Ed had made her nervous. When she was sure that the house was locked up tight she glanced over the back f the couch. Merle was still asleep and, even though they had made great strides today, she wasn't about to wake him up. Instead she grabbed the quilt that hung off the back of the chair and threw it over him. He mumbled and rolled over, pulling the blanket up over his shoulders.

Once she finally made it to her room she was mentally exhausted enough to go to sleep quickly. Thankfully she didn't dream.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

The sky was thankfully overcast as he sat at the kitchen table. He was the first one up and his head was killing him. He wasn't even sure if they had anything for a headache and he felt to horrible to do much more than sit there in the dim room massaging his temples. He didn't even open his eyes when he heard Carol come in.

He had spent the whole morning thinking back on what had happened after they had come in last night. He'd been drunk. That was perfectly clear. He was also pretty sure that he hadn't made a complete ass of himself. He hadn't fallen to his knees and begged Carol to pull her head out of her ass. That counted for something at least. He did remember a few things he had said to Merle but that was pretty fuzzy for the most part. What he remembered clearly was something that he wished he could forget. Like the part where Carol had thought it was okay to keep him company while he threw up. And he remembered her helping him back to bed and forcing him to drink water.

He also remembered what she'd told him after he had complained about her mothering him. He winced as his head throbbed a little harder just thinking about it. He opened his eyes when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

She was standing there holding out her hand. He sighed in relief, plucking the two pills that were sitting in her palm and swallowed them dry. She scooted a glass closer and he drank down half the contents before coming up for air. The cold water had his stomach rolling and for a terrifying moment he thought he might get sick again right there in the kitchen floor. After a few seconds the feeling passed.

"I'm not even going to ask you how you feel this morning. I can tell already," she said with a sympathetic smile. He watched her as she fixed the coffee pot. "Those pills should do the trick, though."

"I look that bad, huh?" He grumbled. His throat felt raw.

She glanced over her shoulder, her smile growing wider. "Don't worry Daryl. You're the first person I've ever met that looks good even dry heaving. For a man that's suffering a hang over as bad as you probably are, you look pretty dashing."

He snorted and shook his head, scowling as the action caused his head to throb.

"If you want I know a trick that might help. Can I try?" she asked, suddenly behind his chair.

"If it'll make this headache go away you can try whatever the hell you want. I'd even let you knock me out with somethin'."

"I'd feel too bad if I knocked you out so I'll just try this. I read about it in a book." Her fingers threaded through his hair, her fingertips raking across his scalp as her thumbs pressed into the base of his skull, rubbing circles.

All he could do was drop his head into his hands and leaned his elbows heavily into the table. He moaned and groaned and thanked God that the headache was easing up. She methodically rubbed, moving from his head and neck to his shoulders. She kept it up until the coffee pot was ready and then she abandoned him.

"Better?" She asked, sitting a steaming cup in front of him.

The smell caused him to feel sick again so he pushed it away. "Yeah. I'm getting there anyway."

"I'm sorry you feel so bad," she said, sitting across from him. "Is there anything else I can do?"

He shook head, much slower this time. "No, but next time I decide to drink that much, remind me how bad I feel right now."

She nodded and for the first time he noticed that she looked nervous.

"What?" He asked.

She lifted one shoulder. "Do you remember much from last night?"

He was almost sure he knew what she was worried about. Should he tell her that he remembered and risk her pulling away even further? He shook his head, not even needing to think about it. "Not really. I know I threw up. Next thing I know I was wakin' up with someone beating on the inside of my skull with a hammer."

She seemed relieved at that and nodded, smiling. "You should eat."

He frowned. "God no."

A groan from the living room had them both turning towards the doorway. Merle was awake and he was probably going to be ready to start some shit after last night. For one, Daryl knew he wouldn't be too happy about being stuck shopping with Carol the night before. He didn't even want to think about how pissed Merle would be over getting an earful from him. He glanced at Carol but she didn't look as annoyed by Merle being awake as she usually did.

When he came into the room he was still wiping sleep from his eyes and yawned loudly. He glanced at Daryl and then Carol with a nod. "Mornin'," he muttered, pulling out the other chair and sitting down heavily.

"Morning," Carol said, like Merle being this docile was the most natural thing in the world. "Coffee?" She offered.

"Yeah, why not?" Merle said without even glaring at her. "Load that bitch up with that fancy pants cream you bought. I took a shot of that shit yesterday. Tasted like a milkshake.

She laughed at that, got up and fixed him a cup, sitting it down in front of him.

"Thanks," he muttered before taking a drink. Daryl must not have been able to hide his disbelief because Merle glanced up over the rim of the cup and raised a brow. "How you feelin'?" He asked.

Daryl glanced at Carol but she wasn't paying any attention to them. It was like this was normal and it wasn't normal at all. Not _their_ normal anyway. Their normal was Merle opening his eyes and instantly bitching about everything. Normal was Merle and Carol throwing insults around. Normal wasn't this. "I feel like shit," he finally answered.

"Figured. Too bad I won't be around to see you suffer all day. Axel is pickin' me up after lunch. Gonna run around with the guys for a few days. You and Pollyanna are dull as fuck."

Daryl thought he'd feel a sense of relief at the news of a few days without Merle but those old worries reared their ugly heads. "What the fuck are you gonna do with them assholes?"

Merle took another drink before answering. "Nothin' illegal if that's what you're getting at."

Daryl, headache all but forgotten, narrowed his eyes. "One more strike and you're lookin' at some serious time, Merle."

"No shit. That's why I just said that we wasn't up to nothin' shady. You deaf or somethin'?"

Daryl dropped the conversation but he couldn't just turn off his worry. Carol, surprisingly enough, looked just as worried. She was eyeing Merle with a frown.

Merle caught the look and shook his head. "What the fuck is up with you two? Look at you, over there lookin' like a concerned mama. You want me to call and check in so you two won't lose any sleep over my forty year old ass?"

Carol nodded. "Could you?"

Merle snorted. "Are you fuckin' serious, woman? I'm a grown ass man!"

"Who is very susceptible to trouble," she said dryly.

Merle rolled his eyes dramatically. "I can take care of myself. You worry about you, darlin'. You're more susceptible than I am."

Carol shook her head but she didn't say anything else. Daryl was mostly confused over the exchange. Something must have happened to finally thaw out their antagonistic relationship but he had no idea what that could be. He was glad that things were smoothing out but now he had a burning curiosity as to what could have done it. Nothing he had tried so far had worked.

No one said anything else about it as they went about their day. It was pushing noon when the phone rang. Merle was in the shower and Carol was off somewhere else in the house and it looked like he was the one that had to crawl his sick ass off the couch and answer it.

"Yeah?" He grumbled.

"Is Carol there?" An unfamiliar male voice asked.

Daryl scowled. This could be one of Ed's friends just calling to give her a hard time. It was the only reason he could think of that Carol would be getting a phone call from some guy. The only guy that would be calling her otherwise was him. "Who the hell is this?"

"Abe Ford, you're the room mate, right? I'm the guy that roughed up Carol's husband at the mall, remember?"

Daryl was silent, his heart pounding hard in his chest as anger spiked his blood. So they had seen Ed last night? And some other guy had roughed him up? And now that guy had _their_ fucking phone number? Why the fuck hadn't they said anything to him about it?

"Hello?"

"Just a minute," he all but growled into the phone. "Carol!" He yelled so loud it almost caused his headache to come back.

She came out of the dining room in a hurry, drying her hands on a towel. "Why are you screaming?"

He shoved the phone into her hand. "Looks like you and my brother, and apparently some fuck named Abe left out the part about you runnin' into Ed last night." His voice was like ice and he saw the panic on her face, confirming the lie.

She put the phone up to her ear, her wide eyes following him. "Hello?"

He stomped back over to the couch and flopped down on his back. When the fuck did they decide that it was okay to lie to him? And they could act like not telling him something wasn't lying but that was bullshit. They had apparently had some kind of goddamn bonding experience over the whole mess because they had been acting weird all damn morning. And who the hell was this mother fucker calling his house like he knew her? She had to have given him their number.

"Tonight?" Carol asked from behind him. Daryl ignored his raging thoughts so he could pay attention to what she was saying. "I have plans for tonight. What about Monday evening? I get off around four. I can meet you somewhere for an early dinner."

Daryl sat back up and glared in her direction over the back of the couch. Was she fucking _dating_ some asshole?

"That sounds great... Oh, that wasn't him. That was my other roommate." She laughed at something the guy said. "Yeah, Three's Company two point O is about right... Okay, I'll see you then. Me too. Bye."

He stood up, glaring at her. She kept her back to him for a few moments before she sat the phone back on the cradle and turned around slowly. "Daryl, just let me explain."

He was about to wait for her to do just that but then he found himself shaking his head. "You know what, don't," he snapped.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Ed just showed up out of nowhere in the hardware store. When we got home you were drunk and we thought it'd be best not to-"

"I said don't," he said, his sharp eyes locking on hers. "You made it all too clear, alright? I get it now. It ain't none of my damn business. You ain't gotta explain a damn thing to me, Carol. Me and you, we ain't a _thing_ , we're roommates. Just like you told your friend there, right? I gave it my best fuckin' shot. I did every goddamn thing I could think to do and I flat out ain't got no more to give you. So keep your goddamn secrets, go be best fuckin' buddies with my dickhead brother, have a fun fuckin' time with this Abe fella and stop fuckin' actin' like you give two fucks about me or us or anything else cause I'm over it. I'm done tryin'."

"What the hell's goin' on?" Merle asked as he came down the stairs.

"Nothin'," Daryl growled as he turned to walk away. He snatched his keys off the table by the door. "Don't get your stupid ass thrown in jail," he tossed over his shoulder right before he slammed the door closed behind him. He had no idea where the hell he was going but he had to get away from her and he had to get the hell away from Merle. Just his luck a red Toyota pulled up, parking behind Carol's Jeep.

"Hey there, Daryl!"

Daryl groaned as Axel got out of the drivers seat and walked towards him, his dumb ass mustache making Daryl's eye twitch. "You get my brother in trouble while he's with you and I swear I'll rip your fuckin' tongue outta your head, Axel."

Axel's eyes widened but he nodded as Daryl stormed past him. "No worries there. I've been on the straight and narrow for a long time now."

Daryl barely heard him as he climbed into his truck and revved the engine angrily before he pulled out, slinging mud and snow as he tried to put distance between him and the house and the goddamn lingering hurt that had plagued him for the last week.

 **The next chapter is better. I promise. o.O**


	31. Chapter 31

**Hello. So, my internet has been in and out all night and last time it did this it went to crap for days. I wanted to get this out in case that was about to happen. If all is well then I'll update again in... I guess about 12 hours. If you don't see me around then don't worry, I didn't die. Thanks for reading.**

 **Chapter Thirty One**

Carol and Merle stared at each other for a few seconds but before either of them could say a word there was a knock at the door. Merle went to open it and Carol followed. "Abe called and thought Daryl was you. He mentioned Ed," she explained before he made it to the door.

Merle cursed, shaking his head as he pulled the door open. "How's it goin' you goofy bastard?" He greeted a small mustachioed man.

"You ready?" The man asked, glancing around until his eyes landed on Carol. "Oh, hello there."

"Hi," Carol muttered, unconsciously stepping slightly behind Merle as the man's leering gaze swept over her.

"Put your eyeballs back in your head, asshole. Daryl would rip out your tongue if he caught you lookin' at her like that."

The man laughed. "He already threatened to rip out my tongue if I got you into any trouble. You ready to roll?"

"Give us a minute. I'll be out there."

Axel nodded, glanced at Carol one more time and then went back outside.

"That guy gives me the creeps," Carol said as Merle turned to look at her.

Merle chuckled. "Yeah, he gets that a lot from the ladies. Listen," he said, all traces of humor gone now. "He's pissed off but he'll cool down. You might wanna tell that friend of yours not to call here anymore. All that's gonna do is mess Daryl's head up. He's got it bad and he ain't never had it bad for anybody before. He's hurtin' damn bad as it is and that's only gonna make it worse on him."

"Abe's just a friend, Merle. He invited me out to dinner with him and his _wife_. And Daryl knows that me and him are friends too. This whole thing snowballed but he knows the smart thing to do is reign it in. You may have been the reason it happened when it did but it needed to happen. I need to figure a lot of things out. I can't be with anyone right now. I'm a mess."

Merle gave her a look. "Look at you, thinkin' I wanna stand around and bond with you. There's pussy to be had, woman. Look, I don't care what the hell you two gotta do. Just do it and don't fuck with his head. And don't let him be a dick either. Axel's number's on your nightstand. Call me if anything happens."

Regardless of his disgusting delivery, she couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Merle. I think."

He turned to leave but stopped with his hand on the doorknob. "You know, I don't wanna admit this but what he said last night was the damn truth. That shit I said last week, that ain't him. It ain't him now anyhow. That was him when I had him under my thumb. He didn't use any of those women. It was kinda like they were usin' him. Women like that... well, they can smell a damaged man from a mile away. You keep that in mind." He didn't wait for her to respond before he walked out the door, leaving her standing there staring after him.

She remembered seeing those scars on his back and she flinched internally. Damaged. That was the words Merle had used. She was damaged too and it was fitting that two people like them would find one another. He had helped her grow by leaps and bounds in such a short amount of time and she hoped that she could help him too. That didn't mean she was willing to jump back in bed with him. She was still determined to work on herself before that happened again. She had a ways to go before she was ready for that. Didn't she? Wasn't the right thing to do here was wait until she was better in every way. She wanted to offer him more. She didn't want to hold anything back and she was afraid if they moved to fast then that's what she would do. She hated feeling so confused, conflicted.

"You should have thought of that before you tried to seduce him in the first place," she grumbled to herself. And that was how it had been. He hadn't wanted to sleep with her that night. Physically, he was more than happy to do whatever she wanted but he had tried to end it before it had gone so far. He had known she wasn't ready for anything like that and she had kept on pressuring him until he finally opened himself up and then she had pulled back. And her pulling back had hurt him badly.

And she hadn't even realized how badly until right now.

She called Hershel and told him that something came up and she needed to cancel. He was perfectly fine with that and told her to enjoy the rest of her day. She still had every intentions of holding off on the sex but she had made him feel horrible all week and she hadn't even meant to. Now he was out there, more angry at her than he had ever been before and she had a lot to make up for.

She grabbed her keys and headed out the door. She had some things to do before he got back.

~H~

He hadn't killed anything in a long time and his chances of killing anything now were pretty slim. He wasn't keeping his presence in the woods a secret at all. He stomped through the snow, moving quicker than he would have if he was out here for any other reason other than to just get away. Get away from his brother and get away from her.

The bow strapped across his back felt good. It felt comfortable. For the first time in a while, he felt like himself. Bad mood and all. He made it to the river bank much faster than he would have if he'd actually been out here to hunt. Dusting the snow off of a fallen tree trunk he sat down heavily and focused on the sounds around him. Birds. Rushing water. The click of bare branches hitting one another in the breeze.

He tried clearing his mind, shedding that overwhelming sense of outrage. It wasn't easy. He felt like he had every right to feel that way. He didn't put himself out there easily. He didn't open up to people. Anyone. But he did her. And he understood it. He understood that she had been through a fucking ton of trauma and any human would need time to wade through the mess and find themselves again. He got that. And he got that she needed to do that on her own, without him in her bed every night. Hell, that had been his plan all along. He had wanted to leave her alone. He had fucking tried! She was the one that insisted. She was the one that blurred those lines. Not him. Her.

But it was okay. Or it would have been. It would have been fine if she wasn't planning fucking dates with some asshole. So she couldn't find herself if she was with him but she was perfectly fine finding herself while dating random men. A man that hadn't been the one who had taken her away from the shitty fucking life that she had been living. A man that didn't know half the shit she had gone through. A man that would never understand her the way Daryl did and couldn't in a million goddamn years love her like he did.

He stood up after he finally realized that this wasn't helping him at all. Maybe if he had actually focused on hunting he would have succeeded at getting rid of some of that anger but he hadn't. Now he just felt fed up. He felt cheated. He felt like he'd given his all and his all hadn't been enough and it only fueled that sense he'd always had, that he'd never be enough for anybody. Never had been, so why had he thought this would be any different?

He made his way back to the truck slower this time. Forcing himself to stop dwelling on things he had no control over. He had blown it that night he had slept with her. Blown it all to hell. And now all he could do was try to put things back to the way they had been before all of that had happened. By the time he reached the truck he wasn't as pissed off as he had been. He wasn't about to compete with anyone for her. He was too old and too inexperienced for anything like that. But he had said some pretty harsh shit before he left and she hadn't deserved that. Not really. It wasn't her fault that she didn't feel the same way about him. It wasn't like that was something a woman could control. The heart wanted what it wanted. All he could do now was try to salvage their friendship because it was important. If he couldn't have that part of her, he could live with that, but he wanted something. Even if that friendship did nothing but cause him pain, it would be worth it.

As he drove through town he had an idea. He'd make the first move to get things back to how they had been. He pulled into the crowded pizza place and ordered the same thing him and Carol had ordered last weekend. While he waited he walked to the video store around the corner and rented three of the worst looking horror movies he could find. Maybe he could let everything go and just be her friend tonight. The way it was suppose to have gone last weekend.

When he pulled up her Jeep was there. It was nearing dark and he was happy to see she'd made it home from Hershel's. Whether he was still pissed at her or not, he still didn't want her out anywhere alone. Especially at night. Leaving her here knowing Merle wasn't going to be around had been a stupid selfish move on his part but he hadn't even thought about it. All he had been able to think about was escaping the pain.

When he made it inside he went straight to the coffee table to deposit the pizza box. To his surprised there was already one sitting there. He glanced around but Carol wasn't anywhere to be seen. A stack of movies were sitting there so he picked them up, a slow smile gracing his lips as he realized that they had both had the same idea.

He looked up when he heard her quick footfalls coming down the stairs. "You're home!" Her eyes lit up.

"Yeah. What'd you think I'd do, stay gone all night?" He asked, forcing more gruff into his voice than he needed to.

She stopped a few feet away from him, her wide eyes flicking down before she caught herself and looked back up. "I wasn't sure," she said, uncertainty lacing her words. She gestured towards the coffee table. "Just in case I thought maybe, since Merle wasn't here, we could-" Her voice trailed off once she actually looked down at the table. She grinned and the next thing he knew her arms were locked around his neck.

"The hell is this for?" He asked, hesitating before he allowed himself to rest his hands at the small of her back. This was going to be fucking torture.

She pulled away, her hands gripping his shoulders and her eyes searching his. "I'm so sorry."

He shrugged, not allowing himself to feel anything at all at her words or her proximity. "For what?"

"For not telling you about Ed. And for Abe calling. I saw him yesterday when Ed showed up. Ed grabbed me and Abe saw it. He's just a guy that I went to school with. I never should have given him this number but it really was nice seeing him and he wanted to catch up so I thought it would be okay. He wants me to go out to dinner with him and his wife Monday."

"Ed grabbed you?" He wasn't able to keep up with her chatter but that part stuck out to him, perfectly clear.

She nodded and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt. "It isn't so bad, really." She looked at the bruises on her arm and then back up at him. "I'm not hiding anything from you. I just didn't think telling you while you were drunk would be smart and then when you weren't drunk I just didn't know how to tell you. I didn't want you to be upset when you felt so bad."

He took in the angry marks on her and breathed through the rage that pounded behind his ears. He was afraid to say anything because they were off to a pretty good start and if he opened his mouth he was afraid he'd ruin it.

"I don't want things to be bad here, okay? I don't want you to think that I'm not grateful for everything you've done for me. I don't want you to think I'm turning into someone that you can't trust or-"

"I don't think that," he said, cutting her off.

She searched his eyes for a few more moments before she stepped away from him, dropping her arms from his shoulders. "I wasn't sure if you'd come home. You were so mad when you left."

He wasn't sure what to say about that so he just nodded and went with the truth. "Just because I'm pissed off about somethin' doesn't mean I'd leave you out here alone all night. Trust me, this ain't the last time you're gonna piss me off and it ain't gonna be the last time I storm out in a fuckin' huff. But I'll get over it and then crawl my ass back home with pizza to try to smooth shit over. Get used to it."

She grinned. "I can live with that." The smile faltered and then she searched his eyes. "But you're still mad?" She asked cautiously.

He sighed heavily and a lot of tension seemed to leave him. It took a lot of energy to stay pissed off at her. Especially when she looked so goddamn hopeful and was trying so goddamn hard to make things up to him. "Lets eat and watch some really shitty movies, alright?"

She still looked unsure but she nodded and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the couch. "I've been looking forward to this all day."

He sat down, his eyes following her as she readied the first movie. He watched her as she reached across the table. Her shirt sleeve rode up on her arm, showing the bruises there. He looked away. Maybe she was coming clean and wanting him to know that she wasn't trying to hide anything. It was funny that she was making such strides to reassure him because there was something he was keeping from her.

As soon as he got the chance, he was going to find Ed and he was going to make sure it'd be a long time before he put his filthy hands on another woman. Especially this woman.


	32. Chapter 32

**I just had to shake my head at myself when I went over this chapter. lol Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Thirty two**

She sat on the middle couch cushion with her legs crossed Indian style, her knee barely brushing his thigh. She wasn't going to climb all over him like she had last weekend but there was nothing wrong with being close to him. She liked being close to him. Actually she would rather be a lot closer but she didn't let herself. This was complicated enough without her making it even worse on either of them.

Of course, the movies both of them had picked out were slasher movies, which caused her to jump a lot but they didn't really make any sense to her. Apparently, according to him, they weren't suppose to. She wasn't as curious when a sex scene came on. It caused her to shift uncomfortably next to him. Several times she glanced at him and caught him looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Least now I get what all that writhing around and moaning is all about," she muttered, biting off some pizza and chewing thoughtfully.

He scratched his head and pretended like he hadn't heard her. She felt her face flame because she hadn't really meant to say that out loud. There really wasn't anything she could do to take it back either which only made things more awkward. And what was Carol good at when things got awkward? Apparently making them more awkward. She swallowed the bite and gestured towards the screen.

"That man doesn't have any rhythm either. The lady has to be faking it. He's flopping around on top of her like a dying fish," she observed. "I didn't even know what the hell I was doing and I was better at it than that. I hope I was anyway, he looks ridiculous."

When she risked another look at him he was looking at her but he turned his head after a second. Now she was starting to get nervous. Why had she opened her big dumb mouth? She decided to go ahead and drop it and not say anything that had anything to do with what was going on between the couple on the screen. That was, until the woman suddenly rolled over. Carol felt her eyes widen and Daryl shifted, obviously uncomfortable. And there was the woman in the movie, her face buried in the pillows while the man was positioned behind her. Carol's eyes were glued to the screen and sure enough she had to comment.

"Well that looks... interesting," she blurted.

"You thirsty?" Daryl stood up quickly. "I'm thirsty."

Carol nodded, never looking away from the television until the scene faded to dark. She frowned. That was definitely something she wanted to try eventually. She was surprised by the thought and then she flushed, the heat coming off her face was intense. She realized that Daryl had been out of the room for a while now and so she paused the movie and went to the kitchen. She found him standing there with two cans of soda in his hands, leaning against the counter.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

His head came up swiftly. "Oh. Nothin'." He held up the cans. "Getting drinks."

She eyed him. "We don't have to watch anymore movies."

He laughed but it sounded strained. "What? That's stupid. We rented the damn things."

"You don't seem to really want to watch anymore and that's okay. There's gotta be something else we can do." Her eyes locked onto his and he grew very still. Memories from their one night together slammed into her mind and then she started wondering what it would feel like to be with him again. To be more assertive. To tell him that she wanted him to do to her what the guy in the movie did to that woman.

"Why the hell are you breathing so hard?" He croaked.

She swallowed, shaking her head. "I'm not!"

He sat the drinks down and put his hands on his hips. "You're actin' weird."

"I am not. You're acting weird. You're the one hiding in the kitchen!"

He huffed. "Because your running commentary is distracting as fuck!"

"Well excuse me! I was just making conversation."

"You blurted out that doing it doggy style would be interesting! You can't say shit like that and expect me not to think about doing it. Goddamn it! I'm goin' by your rules here and you're makin' it damn hard." He swallowed and glanced down at the same time she did, both looking quickly at his crotch before he looked back up and caught her staring. "Hard to _focus_! Damn it, you know what I mean."

Her mouth fell open at that. "I... Well, it would be!"

He pointed at her. "See! That right there. You can't do that!"

"What? Make an observation?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes. You can't make an observation like that. New rules startin' right now. No more watchin' sex stuff together. No more observations. No more... No more biting your lip either. And no more wearing tank tops unless you have a bra on! And no more... No more-"

"You jerk! I don't have to wear a bra if I don't want. If you're too perverted to be in the same house with me while I'm not wearing a bra then you can just sleep in the truck! And I can bite my damn lip any time I please. You're lucky I don't bite yours right off for being an ass!"

"You're the ass!" He barked.

She stormed past him, grabbing up the dishes from earlier and started putting them away. She cleaned when she was frustrated and she was damn frustrated right now. She knew he was still standing there, watching her but she didn't have anything else to say to him. He was so frustrating!

"Ouch!" She cried, grabbing her finger. She had been reaching for the silverware and instead grabbed a knife that someone hadn't put blade down in the drainer. "Damn it!"

He was right there. "You alright?" He asked, trying to peer over her shoulder.

"I'm fine," she ground out from between clenched teeth. She was still mad at him and it actually felt good to be able to openly be angry at someone. She didn't have to swallow it down. She reached for the paper towels, wrapping her finger quickly before he could even try to look at it. It was a pretty bad cut but she'd had plenty worse.

"Just let me look at it," he said sounding exasperated.

She kept moving into his view, acting like a complete child and not caring at all. "I told you I'm fine. New rule for you, you aren't my babysitter and when I tell you to mind your own business then you have to mind your own business."

"Nice word choice, Carol. Since you're actin' like a baby and all. Let me make sure the damn cut ain't too deep. It's soakin' through the paper towel already!"

"Mind. Your own. Business!" She growled, still keeping her back to him.

She heard a frustrated growl right before he had his hands on her hips, spinning her around to face him and then lifting her easily until she was perched on the counter. She tried to hop down but he moved right between her legs, trapping her there.

"You done throwin' your stupid fit?" He asked, his eyes boring into hers angrily.

She glared. "I can take care of this myself."

He shook his head and grabbed her hand, forcing her to let him see the cut. He unwrapped it and examined it closely. "It's deep but not anything to worry about," he muttered.

She jerked her hand away. "Like I said." She was having a hard time holding on to her anger with him so close. She looked up, meeting his eyes. "I really wanted to make things better tonight. I didn't mean to cause you to get mad at me again."

He sighed, his breath blowing over her neck causing her to shiver. He let go of her finger and placed his hands on the counter, caging her in. "It ain't that," he muttered. "I'm tryin' to do what you want. I get it, I do. It's the reason I didn't want to do what we did in the first place."

She nodded all of her anger draining away and leaving sadness and a deep longing in it's wake. "I know that. And I should have listened to you. The whole thing was my fault. I just wanted so badly to... feel."

His eyes slid down from hers, settling on her mouth. "Yeah, well, I didn't put up much of a fight."

"Do you wish I would have left you alone? Do you regret it?" She asked, her voice filling with dread because she knew the answer. He wouldn't lie to her, even if the truth hurt.

He nodded. "Yeah. I do."

She expected the answer but not the force of the pain that it caused her. Sure it made things harder but she didn't regret it for a second. It had been an amazing experience that she wanted to remember for the rest of her life. And he didn't feel the same way. But of course he didn't. According to Merle, Daryl had been around the block a time or two, even if it was meaningless. She wasn't anything special. Not really. Those other women had probably known exactly what to do. They hadn't been some basket case that he regretted sleeping with.

"What the fuck," he grumbled, reaching up and brushing a thumb over her cheek bone. It came away wet and she jerked her face away from his touch, trying to laugh it off.

"I'm fine," she said quickly.

"You don't get what I meant. It just made things harder around here. I gotta sit back and hope you come around. I ain't used to givin' a fuck one way or another. But I do give a fuck and I don't want to."

She tried to understand what he was trying to tell her but it was difficult. "I don't want you to feel that way. I'm just..." Her voice trailed off. She couldn't find the right words to explain it.

"Scared. I get that," he said.

"Do you?" She doubted he got it at all.

He nodded and then moved back so he wasn't trapping her anymore. "I do. I don't like it but I get it. You're still all fucked up and you're scared to put it all out there. Especially since you don't really know jack shit about me. Nobody really knows anybody, right? And where will you be if I end up being the same type of asshole that you married?"

"I would never think that," she said, sliding down from the counter.

"If it ain't that then what is it?"

She stared at him for a long time. "I don't know," she finally answered and even she knew how generic that sounded.

He nodded. "You just remember that I'd eat a bullet before I would ever put my hands on you. I've seen enough of that shit to last me ten goddamn lifetimes."

She nodded. "I know."

He walked out of the kitchen then, leaving her standing there, his words repeating in her mind over and over until she finally shook her head and followed after him. The night wasn't salvageable and she was suddenly very tired. He was sitting on the couch and he had pushed play on a different movie. She gathered up the pizza boxes and stood up.

"I think I'm just gonna call it a night," she said when he looked up at her questioningly.

"You sure? This one is actually pretty damn good. And there ain't no distractin' sex scenes either." He motioned towards the TV.

She bit her lip in thought and then he cocked an eyebrow at her. She couldn't help it. She laughed. What was one more movie? And she really wanted to spend more time with him. Even if it was tense. She sat down at the other end of the couch just as he turned off the lamp. She was surprised when he moved, stretching out and resting his head in her lap. Not that she minded a bit but she hadn't expected him to do something like that. Tentatively she ran her fingers through his hair forcing herself to focus on the movie. It felt good having him so close again.


	33. Chapter 33

**I don't even know what to say about this. It wasn't meant to be this way but this is what happened and... That is all. Thanks for reading.**

 **Chapter Thirty Three**

Carol sat bolt upright in bed with the sheets tangled around her. She was nearly gasping for breath and she was damp from sweat. The dream still lingered vividly in her minds eye, leaving her feeling a desperate longing in her heart, and other parts of her body that she didn't even want to acknowledge. She felt incredibly alone and incredibly empty after such a dream. A dream where Daryl had came into her room, kissing her until she could no longer form a logical thought. And that wasn't all he had done in that dream. It had been so real. All of the feelings, both physical and emotional, just as real as if he had actually been there.

She fought her way out of the sheets and stood up, turning on the bedside lamp. The empty feeling stayed with her and she was surprised to feel tears of frustration in her eyes. She felt like a complete idiot for it but she couldn't help it. She blinked back the tears and stripped off the sweaty over sized t-shirt she had warn to bed. It was one of Daryl's that had somehow ended up in her laundry. With a pounding heart she sifted through her closet until she found the robe she had bought the night before. It barely brushed her upper thighs, much shorter than anything else she had ever worn. But the silk was cool against her overheated skin and that was what she needed. She needed to cool off. It wasn't the type of garment that she would ever openly wear around the house with the guys around but Daryl was asleep in his own room and Merle wasn't home.

She slipped out her door silently and headed down the stairs. She needed something to drink and she needed to be somewhere other than her bedroom. The very room the dream had taken place. She could still feel his hands on her. She could still smell the earthy smell of his skin against her own. She could have sworn that she could still taste the salt on his skin and feel his lips on hers, moving down, rough hands mapping her out...

She drew water straight from the tap and took a few drinks before she sat the glass down and leaned heavily into the counter, bracing herself with her hands. She wanted that heavy ache between to her legs to go away. She squeezed her thighs together but that only intensified it. That awful emptiness that enveloped her didn't ease either and she felt like crying from the frustration of it all.

"Carol?"

Her head shot up but she didn't dare turn around. Just the sound of his voice was like a slow caress between her thighs causing her to grip the counter harder. She didn't even care that her robe was so short that he nearly had a clear view of her backside from the dim moonlight shining in through the windows.

"You okay?" He asked. There was a new rough quality to his voice that was unmistakable. She had heard it before. From the dim moonlight coming in from the windows he could see her state of undress.

She nodded, her imagination tail spinning. She wanted to feel him. All of him. She wanted him to take her right there in the kitchen and she wanted him to do it to her hard. And she knew that there was a reason not to let it happen. Her breath hitched. What in the hell was wrong with her?

"Did you have another dream?" He asked.

She was having trouble controlling her breathing. It was coming too fast. She nodded in response, squeezed her thighs together again and almost moaned at the feel of it.

"You should have came and got me. You get a free pass for shit like that," he said. She could tell that he was closer now. Very close. His hand landed on her back. It was meant to be a comforting gesture but it wasn't. It lit a fire in her that had her almost shaking. Just that small touch set her ablaze and she sucked in a breath. More heat pooled low in her body and she dropped her head, squeezing her thighs together even tighter. It did no good.

"It wasn't that kind of dream," she whispered, her voice tortured, her fingers aching from the grip she had.

"Well what the hell else could it have been? You're fuckin' shaking," he said as his hand landed at her waist. "You wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head frantically and covered his hand with her own. She imagined the rush she would feel if he undid the loose knot holding the robe together. She imagined his hands gliding over her, rough but so gentle, imagined him dipping his fingers into her while his mouth...

"Carol, what the hell are you doin'," he growled.

She opened her eyes wide. She had moved his hand from her waist and now it was pressed flat against her stomach. "I don't know. I dreamed about you."

She heard him exhale, his breath grazing her neck and she nearly moaned at the feel of it. "What kind of dream?"

She moved his hand higher. He had to touch her. If he didn't touch her then she felt like she would implode. "The kind of dream that makes me wonder why the hell I wasn't in your room in the first place," she whispered.

He stepped into her then, his chest to her back and instantly she pushed her ass further against him as her hands frantically worked the knot on the robe loose. She shrugged it off her shoulders and he moved just enough for it to fall to the floor. She couldn't wait anymore. She needed him worse than she needed air. She shimmied her underwear down, stepping out of them quickly.

"No," he growled from behind her, sounding further away now. "You can't do shit like this to me. I can't..."

She made a frustrated growling sound in the back of her throat. "Then get out so I can do it myself because I've never needed something so bad in my life." She sounded possessed and she couldn't even bring herself to feel embarrassed about it. She trailed her hands down between her legs. This was insane...

"Holy shit," he muttered, shaking his head and moving close again, his lips brushing against her bare shoulder so she gripped the counter again. His hands ghosted over her rib cage, his thumbs barely brushing the bottom swell of her breasts. She shuddered at that small touch and was shocked at the jolt of pleasure that coursed through her. As his hands massaged her breasts the pressure built until she was sure that she was going to get off before he was able to touch her anywhere else. The warmth of his torso pressing against her back only heightened her senses and she was aware of every muscle that flexed against her. "You sure you wanna do this?" he whispered before his lips closed over her pulse point, sucking gently.

Instead of saying a word she gripped his hand and eased it down between her legs, just at her upper thigh. He groaned when he felt the wetness there.

"Fuckin' Christ," he breathed into her neck. "What the fuck did you dream about?"

"You," she panted, letting go of his hand and bracing hers against the counter again. "Just you." She could feel the thick length of him pressing against her through his pants, causing her to moan. "Now. I need you now," she muttered desperately. "Please."

"Here?"

"Daryl!" She growled.

"Fuck. Okay, okay." His hands left her body long enough to rid himself of his pants and then they were right back on her, gripping her hips roughly at first and then he loosened the grip. "Sorry," he whispered.

"I liked it," she shot back, not wanting him to be careful with her anymore.

"You're killin' me," he growled but his fingers dug into her flesh harder than before. He used his foot to kick her legs further apart and then she felt him easing into her slowly. So slowly it was an agony that she couldn't bear. She pushed back against him hard, taking every inch of him at once. That was all it took. She was so worked up, already teetering on the edge before he had ever even came to check on her and it all unraveled once he was seated inside her. She cried out in shock and relief as the dam inside of her gave and she shuddered against him.

"My God," he groaned as her muscles coiled around him. He knew how bad she needed it then and he didn't hold back. He set a brutal pace after that, driving into her with a force that had her gripping the counter just to stay upright. And her body welcomed it, giving into the sensations over and over until her voice was nearly gone, and still he gave her more. Finally, with a predatory growl he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her upright until her back was flush against his chest again. His rhythm faltered as she felt him swell and then pulse deep inside of her as his body shuddered against her back. His hand shot out, gripping the edge of the counter as he lost himself.

She mourned the loss as he eased out of her but she was sated- for now. His lips met the skin on her shoulder, his breathing just as quick as hers. She didn't need air at the moment as much as she needed to feel his lips on hers. She turned, pulling him to her, needing to taste him. He kissed her hungrily, his lips dominating hers and his tongue demanding entrance. The whole moment was filled with heat and need. A silent testament to exactly how much they had held back the past week.

His arms locked around her, pulling her tighter against him. When he finally tore his mouth away from hers he was panting. Even though her legs were unsteady she gripped his hand tightly and started tugging him through the house, towards the stairs. He didn't protest, which she found as a good sign. He let her lead him all the way to his bedroom before he let go of her hand. He wasted no time once the door was shut. He lifted her easily, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist as his mouth came down on hers.

They ended up on his bed with her on top of him. She was even more turned on by how quickly he gave her that control. He didn't need to dominate her to feel like a man. He was already more man than he had any right to be and she was reminded of that again when he lifted her up by her hips and settled her over him. She was surprised that he was ready so quickly but she wouldn't complain. She lowered herself over him slowly, this time needing to savor the feel of him.

"I'm gonna be so fuckin' pissed if you wake up in the mornin' and decide this was all another big fat mistake," he groaned, gripping her hips and guiding her over him.

She leaned down so her lips were next to his ear. "You're assuming we won't still be awake by then," she breathed and then bit down on his earlobe with enough force to cause him to jerk his hips up into her.

"Son of a bitch," he growled.


	34. Chapter 34

**Sorry if this chapter is full of more typos than usual. My internet is in and out and I wanted to just post it while it was back on for a minute. Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Thirty Four**

Daryl didn't want to wake her up for fear that she really would feel like they had made some horrible mistake last night. The only thing he was sure of was that there was no way she could blame him for what had happened. That was a situation that spun out of control all because of her own doing. All he had wanted to do was make sure she hadn't had another nightmare. He had no idea he was going to walk into the kitchen and find what he had found. He was still amazed at the state she had been in. He had never seen anything like it before.

Now she was wrapped around him with her head tucked under his chin, breathing deeply. He had no idea what time they had finally given in to exhaustion. He had a feeling that it wouldn't have ended at all if she hadn't completely drained him. He shook his head, still in disbelief that last night had turned out the way it had. He had never seen another human being that desperate in his life.

He glanced down when he heard her groan softly. There was a huge chance that she was going to regret everything that had happened and he was mentally preparing for exactly that when she lifted her head and squinted up at him. A deep blush rose up from her neck all the way to her hairline. He kept his features schooled but he raised one eyebrow at her. The more he stared at her the more embarrassed she became.

"Oh my God, you must think I'm insane," she hissed.

He watched her, not saying a word but he felt dread fill his chest at her panic.

"I didn't plan on any of that happening. I swear I only left my room because I was... I don't know what I was. Jesus!"

Still he watched her wordlessly, unsure what to say to reassure her.

"Say something," she whispered.

"Mornin'," he said calmly.

She held his gaze for a few more moments before she smiled sheepishly and rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean for any of that to happen, Daryl. I don't know what that was," she said again, like she needed him to know it.

He shrugged. "Now you gonna tell me it was a fuck up and from now on you're gonna scratch your own itches like a respectable person?"

She met his eyes, her expression troubled. "Actually, no. I wasn't going to say that at all. But my divorce isn't even finalized. We haven't known each other for very long. Why can't I stay away from you?"

"Because I'm a good lay?"

She smacked his chest, the troubled look vanishing under a smile. "I'm being serious!"

He sighed. "You ain't gotta over think every damn thing that happens. What good did it do you to stay away from me all week?"

"I didn't stay away from you all week," she argued but she knew it was lie.

"Bullshit. And you ended up right here anyway. It was all for nothin'. Who the fuck cares if you're still married? That wasn't a goddamn marriage and you know it. Who cares if you ain't known me very long? The only person passin' any judgment on you is you. You're setting rules and you're putting up walls and it's all for fuckin' nothin'."

"That isn't how it is," she said lamely.

He laughed. A real laugh that had her scowling at him. "That ain't how it is, huh? I know that you're gonna run scared as soon as a good enough excuse turns up, just like last time."

"You're wrong," she said, the finality in those two words and the intensity of her gaze sobered him. She propped herself up so she could more easily meet his eyes. "I don't want to stay away anymore. I can't do it. I haven't been able to do it since the day I met you. I never believed that I could feel like this about another person and there isn't anything I can do about it. I'm a stronger person when I'm with you. I like myself when I'm with you. Like this I mean. Well, I don't mean naked or anything. I just mean..."

"I know what you mean," he said quickly before she started rambling. It was times like this that he wished he was better with words. He didn't know what to say to her and he couldn't just lay there and stare at her because she was starting to squirm under his scrutiny. What was a man suppose to say to that? He leaned up and kissed her on the lips quickly.

"That's all?" She asked, looking sorely disappointed.

He chuckled and rolled until she was pinned under him. "Yeah. That's all. For now anyway. I got a few things to do today."

"Can I come?"

He growled, pausing as his eyes raked over her. "More than any other woman I've ever heard of."

She smacked at his chest, her face flaming for the second time in a matter of a few minutes. He rolled off of her and sat up, running a hand through his hair. She was watching him closely. "I meant can I come with you to do whatever it is you were planning on doing today?" She corrected.

"I told Jim I'd come in for a few hours today. He'd have my ass if I took you to work with me."

She sat up, a scowl on her face. "But it's Saturday! You're suppose to be off."

He shrugged and stood up, not caring that he was completely naked. He didn't look at her again until he at least had underwear on. He felt guilty lying to her. He wasn't going to work. He was going to go meet with someone and he sure as hell didn't need her knowing who. Especially now that she was ready to actually give them a shot. "It's just a few hours. Go visit Annette and I'll meet you over there when I'm done."

She sat up and held the blanket to her chest. "I'll just stay here."

He nodded. "Alright then." He pulled on some pants and a t-shirt.

"Why didn't you tell me that you had to go to work before now?" She asked around a yawn.

He laughed. "Are you seriously pouting about it? You'll think of somethin' to do."

She rolled her eyes but didn't argue. She also didn't act like she was willing to get out of bed. "I think I'll go back to sleep then. All alone. The sun was out when we came back to bed."

His gaze traveled over the swell of her hip as she turned her back to him. Reluctantly he pulled the curtains so the room wasn't so bright. He really wanted to get back into that damn bed. But he hadn't been lying when he said that he had shit to do. He really did. And it wasn't something he was willing to put off anymore. He had actually meant to do this much earlier this morning but he hadn't known that he would be up all night with her. He was lucky he'd had the energy left to take a shower before he collapsed into bed with her.

He glanced at her one last time before he opened the door. "See you later," he muttered.

She smiled in response and then he was out the door, hurrying down the stairs. He would stop for coffee. He hadn't seen Glenn in a while anyway. And he was pretty sure that the kid was wondering about him. With Carol around he never left the house hungry or in need of a caffeine fix so he didn't have any reason to stop by the gas station.

He went straight to the small table, grabbing up his keys and opening the door. He was surprised to see Axel's car in the driveway. He shut the door and headed towards the kitchen with a groan. He knew it was already to late. They had never picked their clothes up from last night and if Merle and Axel wasn't in the living room then there was no other place they could be.

He stopped when he entered the kitchen, glancing around the floor where their clothes were still lying. There was a broken glass on the counter that he hadn't even heard break the night before. On the floor was a small puddle of water where it had spilled. How could they have not heard a glass breaking?

"I didn't think I'd get to see you," Merle said suddenly.

Daryl dragged his eyes away from the clothes on the floor and met Merle's gaze levelly. He wasn't embarrassed that Merle knew what had gone on but he knew that Carol would be if she decided to come down and see why he hadn't left yet. If she didn't hear his truck then she'd come down to investigate. "Long night," he muttered as he picked up his pants and the slip of a robe she had been wearing. "What the hell are you doin' home?"

"Had to come pick up my wallet," Merle said with a mischievous grin. "Looks like this time I missed the full audio, huh?"

Daryl groaned. "Don't give her any shit about it, Merle. You know how she is."

He nodded. "I do."

Axel leaned in his seat to peer behind Daryl into the dining room. "So, Carol your girlfriend or somethin'?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes until Axel sat up straighter in his chair. "Somethin' like that. Keep your eyes in your head and your mouth shut if she comes down here. Both of you." He was about to head out of the room when he realized something. He stopped and glared at first Merle and then Axel.

"What's the problem?" Merle asked.

Daryl shifted his eyes on Axel and the guy shifted in his seat. "Where the hell's her underwear?"

Merle glanced around the floor and then his eyes landed on Axel. He guffawed, slapping his leg. "Oh fuck! You sick little bastard," Merle laughed loudly.

"You got three seconds you sick little sack of shit," Daryl growled, holding his hand out.

Axel seemed to weigh his options and then reluctantly he reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of baby blue lace that matched the robe.

Daryl snatched it out of his hand and then whacked him hard on the side of the head. "Out!" He barked, tossing the clothes into the laundry room.

"Oh come on baby brother, give him a break."

"Now Merle!" Daryl fumed, pointing towards the living room.

Merle, still chuckling, led Axel through the house, Daryl hot on their heels.

"If I catch you even lookin' at her I swear I'll beat your ass all over Georgia, Axel," He said as he followed them out onto the porch. He locked the front door and then stormed to his truck. He waited until the other car disappeared around the bend before he pulled out of the drive.

He ran a hand through his hair as he made a right instead of a left. Left would have taken him to work. Right would take him right to Ed Peletier. He had been dead set on doing something about the man before. Now, after that speech she had given him this morning, the need to have a talk with the guy was even more intense.


	35. Chapter 35

**Lost internet yesterday and power last night! Sorry for the delay!**

 **Chapter Thirty Five**

Daryl wasn't sure where the man would be. He knew very little about him so it may not be as easy to find him as he thought. Lucky for him, the town wasn't too large and he also knew where he worked. A used car salesman. Daryl probably towed a lot of broke down cars that the slimy bastard sold to unsuspecting people. The job certainly fit him.

He slowed down as he drove past the house he had taken Carol from. The car wasn't in the driveway but that was a good sign. He didn't want to have this confrontation in the guys house. For one, he didn't think he could stomach walking through the door. It wasn't a house to him but a prison that Carol had been locked inside for five years of her life. He didn't want to stand behind the door to that prison. That and he wasn't very sure he would be able to refrain from killing him if he was in such close quarters with the man. So he drove on past, turning up the radio when his ears caught the opening tune of the old song that Carol had seemed to like so much that day that he had taken her to the diner. He felt the corner of his mouth turn up at the memory.

He stopped off at the gas station and just as he expected, Glenn was happy to see him. Daryl wasn't even sure why since he was usually pretty gruff with the optimistic Asian.

"Well I'll be damned," Glenn grinned when he walked in the door. "I thought you up and moved away. How you been?"

Daryl nodded and poured a cup of coffee. "Pretty good."

"You been on vacation or something?" Glenn asked, his elbows leaning on the counter.

"Nah. Just been too busy to stop by here and keep your ass company every mornin'." He took a drink of the coffee and frowned. Carol's was much better.

"Tara tells me she hasn't seen you around either. She's afraid you're starving to death," Glenn went on.

Daryl eyed him. "What the fuck do you two do? Call each other every night with Dixon updates? Y'all need to think about getting a life."

"She tells me that you moved. Got yourself a girl now," Glenn grinned at Daryl's obvious discomfort.

"Then she ain't gotta worry about me starvin' now does she?"

The smile on Glenn's face dimmed a little as his eyes scanned the isles. "Is it true that the woman you're living with is Carol Peletier?"

Daryl's head shot up at that. "What of it?"

Glenn shook his head. "Because Ed Peletier is bad news. From what I hear he's half out of his mind since Carol ran off with you. I've heard stories though and I'm glad she left him. Sure, you're an asshole half the time but you're a good man for the most part. She needed someone like you to step in."

"How the fuck do you know so damn much?" Daryl grumbled.

Glenn shrugged. "I work here. People talk and I get to hear it. It's about the only perk to this job but it beats delivering pizzas."

"Well, I ain't worried about Ed. I can handle him."

Glenn nodded. "Yeah, I know that, I heard all about what happened at the diner, but she can't. Some of the shit I've heard Ed and his friends say is crazy. If she went through half of the stuff I think she did she's lucky to even be alive."

Daryl was sick of listening to this. He knew enough and he didn't like the thought of other people knowing the shit she had gone through.

"I've met her once. Ed sent her in here to pay for gas one time when it was raining." Glenn shook his head in disgust. "She was nice. I hated even letting her leave to go back out there to the jerk."

"He come in here often?" Daryl asked suddenly. If Glenn was a member of the gossip mill then maybe he would be able to help him out.

Glenn eyed him for a few long seconds before nodding. "He isn't a regular like you used to be but I see him enough. He was in here a few hours ago, actually."

Daryl forced himself to sound nonchalant. "He don't look like the type to get up early on the weekends. He strikes me as a lazy ass."

Glenn shook his head. "He was heading to work. Something about losing his weekends off because he missed some work last week. He's stuck detailing cars. I heard him talking to someone on the phone when he was here."

"Wonder how many hours he'll have to pull since it's a weekend and the place is closed," Daryl wondered aloud.

Glenn shrugged. "I heard him tell whoever was on the phone that he'd see them at twelve thirty."

Daryl glanced up at the clock behind Glenn. He only had fifteen minutes. He had been planning on checking the dealership next anyway so it was good to know he wasn't going to have to waste a bunch of his time searching. He nodded in thanks to Glenn and then high tailed it out the door. In his minds eye he saw the bruises on Carol's arm again. Angry dark marks that made his blood boil. He dredged up the memories of how she had looked the night he had met her. The next day when she had showed up at his house. The way her eyes stayed downcast. Then he thought of the woman he was with last night. And that was only after a few weeks away from her tormentor.

No, he was going to make it perfectly clear to Ed that his days of putting his hands on her were over. She didn't belong to Ed. She didn't belong to anyone. She was becoming her own person. And Daryl was going to make damn sure that Ed knew that he wasn't a part of that. He wasn't a part of this new woman that she was quickly becoming. Ed needed to know that there were going to be consequences for his shitty decisions.

He drove by the dealership, taking in as much detail of the place as he could. Just like he thought, there were cameras everywhere. There was no way he was going to have this talk in a place like that. He parked a block away and waited, his eyes glued to the entrance of the dealership.

When Ed pulled out Daryl expected him to drive right past him but he turned the opposite way, apparently not meeting his friend at his house, assuming that he had been talking to Blake. As he pulled out to tail him Daryl felt a little like a stalker. Really, who the hell actually did shit like this? But it was time Ed knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that his bullshit wouldn't be tolerated. Ed needed to get it in his head that if he saw Carol, he needed to turn around and run the other way like hell hounds were on his ass.

He stayed back so the man wouldn't know he was being followed and Daryl was a little surprised to see him pull off into the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant.

"Well, fuck," Daryl muttered, parking on the other side of the building after Ed hurried inside.

He could either leave and try this some other time or he could wait out here for Ed to come back out. Then again, he was damn hungry so why the hell not get himself some lunch? He had worked out harder last night than he had in a long time.

He went into the bright colorful place, glancing around. When he spotted Ed the man's back was to him so Daryl pointed to a table in the corner not far away from him and the hostess led the way. It was pretty crowded, which was a good thing. He kept his head turned as he walked past Ed but not before he realized with a start that he was there with a woman.

He ordered a Coke and a taco, not even needing the menu the server tried to hand him. Daryl was close enough to catch pieces of the conversation.

"... when I tried to talk to her about it she had her new boyfriend attack me with a two by four. All I wanted to do was ask her if she was sure this man was treating her okay..."

Daryl scowled. Was Ed really trying to woo some other woman by giving her a sob story full of lies about Carol? The woman said something but Daryl didn't catch it.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it had been going on for a long time. I just tried to bury my head in the sand because I didn't wanna believe it, you know? But it's been months and I think I'm ready to move on. I'm realizing I'm better off without her. I deserve to be treated better than that."

Daryl wanted to get up and stab the sorry son of a bitch in the eye with his fork. This woman thought he had been separated for months? And that Carol was cheating on him? And the worst part was, she would end up just like Carol if Ed was able to play his cards right and win her over. Daryl was only one man. It wasn't his job to protect any woman that Ed came across. Carol was different. He'd been drawn to her like a moth to a flame from the very moment he saw her. Not to mention, he didn't know how he would warn this woman off. What did he do? Just approach her and tell her that Ed was a woman beater?

And he couldn't very well sit down and have that talk with him either. Talking hadn't been the first thing on his mind. What he really wanted to do was break both of his hands and then have a talk with him.

"I'm glad you finally agreed to have lunch. We should do this again sometime. It feels good to just get out. Gives me a little hope that things won't have to be so bad anymore."

Daryl thought he was going to gag right then and there. Surely the woman could see through his bullshit. From what Daryl could tell most people knew about what Ed had done to his wife so why the hell was this woman even here? Did she live somewhere else? Was she a clueless out of towner?

There wasn't a whole lot he could do at this point. Maybe he would catch him in his house after all. He would think of something. Now he was even more eager to get something done about the man, now that it seemed like he wasn't only happy with terrorizing Carol any time he saw her out but he was moving on to someone else he could torment.

It didn't really matter if Ed saw him now. He wasn't going to do anything anyway so he ate his food slowly, hoping Ed would get up and see that Daryl had been sitting there the whole time and he knew what the bastard was up to. He was on his second drink refill when Ed finally stood up. He tossed some bills on the table and then turned.

Daryl leaned back in his chair, a slow smile breaking over his face once Ed realized he was there. He stumbled to a stop, nearly causing the poor clueless woman to run into him.

"Afternoon, Ed. Who's your date?" Daryl asked, forcing his voice to stay controlled.

"I'm Maddy," the woman said with a smile.

Wordlessly Ed put a hand to her back and ushered her away. Daryl grinned at him when he glanced over his shoulder. If looks could kill then Daryl would have been incinerated right there.

He paid a few minutes later and walked back out to his truck. He was starting to feel guilty. Guilty for lying to Carol anyway. She was probably going to be pissed but he was coming clean once he got back home. If they were really going to give this a shot then they couldn't be lying to each other. She had told him the truth about Ed grabbing her at the mall and she very well could have kept that to herself. She was eager for them to get off on the right foot and he would show her the same respect. He just wasn't looking forward to dealing with the aftermath of coming clean.


	36. Chapter 36

**We had lines down so I haven't been online in days. I'm sorry about the delay and I'm also sorry that you're stuck with this chapter after not getting an update for this story in two damn days! I'm not a fan but there isn't anything I can do about that! Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Thirty Six**

Carol cleaned up the broken glass mess in the kitchen. She was surprised that the glass had broken without her even realizing it. Then again, she hadn't really been herself the night before. That was someone else. Some desperate psychotic person. She was still embarrassed about it but in the end she was glad that it had happened. Maybe they were moving extremely fast but that was just how it was going to work for them. He wasn't using her for anything and her staying away from him like she had had actually hurt him more than she could imagine. She tried to pretend like she wasn't hurting him but after he had blown up at her, she knew that all of that was out of pain.

She refused to keep pretending like she didn't want him physically and she needed to stop trying to convince herself that she didn't know him. Because she truly believed that she did know him. So well, in fact, that she knew that he wasn't at work. She didn't know what it was but she knew he had been lying to her. That was okay though because she would get the truth out of him one way or another. It hurt a little because she didn't understand why he felt like he needed to lie to her but she planned on talking to him about it.

When she heard the truck pull up she sat down on the couch quickly and turned on the television. She didn't want him to know that she had been glancing out the window every five minutes waiting on him to get home. She didn't want him to know that she was that clingy. It was actually rather embarrassing. She was also a little nervous about confronting him. He wouldn't get mad and hurt her and she knew it but she was tired of fighting with him about things. She wanted to talk to him about something else too and she had no idea how to approach the subject.

She had came to a definite decision that he was everything she had ever dreamed of in a man. Although not much time had passed since she had met him, already she couldn't imagine being with anyone else. She wanted him to know that she felt that way. She wanted him to know that she wanted to be with him and him alone. But did he feel the same way? She knew he wanted her but did he really want to _be_ with her? Did he want a relationship or was he just wanting the perks having a soft willing body to have whenever he wanted it? She knew he cared about her. She wasn't a moron. But did he care enough to actually be in a relationship with her? From what she could gather, he didn't do relationships. He wasn't that guy that did the whole relationship thing. Would he get scared off if she brought it up? All these things worried her.

She forced herself to stay there when the door opened up and she heard his footfalls on the wood. "Carol?" He called as soon as he was inside.

She sat up on her knees with her elbows resting on the back of the couch. When he looked over and met her eyes he had a guilty look on his face. "How was work?" She asked, noticing, not for the first time, that the leather jacket he wore made him look incredibly sexy.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't go. I lied."

Her brows shot up. She had been so sure that she would have to guilt the truth out of him. Now she just felt nervous. What had he done instead? "Oh."

He sighed. "Yeah. I was gonna go have a talk with Ed. Maybe break his hand, I don't know. I just didn't want you to know about it. I figured you'd raise hell and I didn't want to hear it so I lied."

She blinked, her heart sinking. "Well, I'm glad you decided to tell me the truth."

He stared at her for a minute. "That's it?" He seemed relieved.

She didn't even take the time to stand up and walk around. She climbed right over the back of the couch and stood there with her hands on her hips. "No, that's _not_ it! Why would you do that!"

His eyes widened. "Because it needs to be done. He can't just put his fucking hands on you when he sees you. You ain't his property."

She had been less upset about him lying than she was about knowing what he had actually been up to. "Daryl, you could have gotten in trouble! After what happened at the diner you can't just go hunt him down and rough him up! You could get arrested! You could get sent to prison or Ed could get his friends to really hurt you! What were you thinking!"

He shrugged. Shrugged! Like the facts she had just given him didn't matter. "See, this is why I didn't wanna tell you," he said defensively. "I knew you'd get all dramatic about it."

"You could go to _jail_!" She said, her voice rising.

He pinned her with an intense look. "And if he catches you out there and thinks for a fucking second he can get away with it, you could end up in the goddamn morgue. Which is exactly where I'll put him if he touches you again."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you really think your brother wants the burden of being my keeper? Do you really think he would stay home every damn night just to keep me safe? If you do something to Ed and get your fool self sent away then you can bet that he'll really come for me then. This will all settle on it's own. Once he really realizes that no matter what, I'm not going back to him, he'll give up."

"And what about the next woman?" He countered. "What you went through with that cock sucker was fucking awful. What about when he decides to move on to someone else? Did he start out treating you like that?"

She opened her mouth and then closed it again, shaking her head.

"He was a pretty swell guy, right? He knew exactly what to say to hook your ass and you fell for it. You married him. And then you stayed."

"I was stupid," she said, shaking her head.

"You weren't stupid! You were duped, Carol. Somebody needs to do something about that son of a bitch before he can do it again."

She shook her head emphatically. "That person doesn't have to be you. I don't want him to be able to ruin this for me just by existing. I want a life with you! A real life. I can't worry about you going off on some vigilante mission and ruining that. He's the past. The only thing that matters is me and you from now on. I'm not wasting another second of my life worrying about him. He's taken enough from me. He took _everything_ from me! And you gave it all back. Everything I've ever wanted, I've found in you and if you do something stupid and I lose you then he wins! Why can't you see that!"

His eyes softened as he took in her words but he still didn't look swayed. "You wouldn't care if it happened again? You'd be able to sleep at night knowing he was out there and someone else had taken your place?"

"Of course I don't want that! But I don't see what good it would do me to worry about that for the rest of my life. I just want to be happy. I want to have the things that I couldn't have the whole time I was with him!"

"When I saw him today he was with another woman. He was telling her all about how depressing his life was ever since you cheated on him and then filed for divorce. She looked pretty sympathetic."

Her heart sank to the floor. Talking about Ed eventually finding someone else and actually knowing that he was already on the prowl were two very different things. There was another woman out there that could go through the same things that Carol had. "But it was just a date or something, right? The poor woman hasn't moved in has she?"

Daryl sat down on the arm of the chair. "Sounded like this might have been a first date."

"Well then there isn't anything to worry about, right? She'll see that he's a horrible person and then she'll just not accept a second date."

"He don't come off as a very horrible person to be honest. Hell, if I didn't know the real story even I would have felt bad for the bastard. He's a good story teller, I'll give him that."

She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill but she knew it wasn't the temperature in the house. She knew that it was a coldness inside of her as she thought about another person facing the life she had managed to escape from.

"Now you know why I lied. I didn't want you to have to feel like this," he said in a soft voice that soothed her inner turmoil. He tugged on her arm and she relented, letting his warmth wrap around her.

"I hate being lied to," she muttered against his shoulder. "Even if it is to spare my feelings. One stupid lie and now I'm gonna wonder what else you're lying about."

He nodded, his lips ghosting over her neck. "I'm an ass. It can't be helped. But I ain't usually a liar."

She smiled but it was a sad smile. He was far from an ass. He was the greatest man she'd ever met and he only lied so she wouldn't be stressing. It was still no excuse. "You should be completely ashamed of yourself."

"Sure am," he said against her skin.

She pulled away just enough so she could meet his eyes. "What can we do? I can't let him hurt that woman."

He held her gaze for so long she got lost in the blue depth of his eyes. "I'll think of somethin'."

She shook her head. "This is exactly what Merle warned you about. This was why he didn't want me here. This isn't your fight and here you are, putting yourself out there. I don't want this for you either."

He shook his head, cupping her face and pulling her forward until his lips were moving over hers. She wanted the distraction so she took it upon herself to deepen the kiss slipping her hands up the back of his shirt so she could feel his skin under her fingers. How easy it was to get lost in the feelings he evoked in her. That exciting rush that she got every time he touched her. It was so easy to slip away until nothing existed in her mind but him and the way he tasted. The way he felt under her touch. The way he seemed to crave her just as much. But now there was that nagging little voice in the back of her mind. A small voice telling her that someone else out there may not be so lucky. Someone else out there may have to face the hell she had escaped from.

She pulled back a little, her hands on his shoulders. "What can we do?" She asked again.

He searched her eyes and then sighed heavily, his hands sliding down to her hips. "We wait."

She opened her mouth to argue but suddenly his finger was pressed against her lips.

"We wait and see if this woman even stays with him. If we get wind of her moving in with him or somethin' then I'll figure somethin' out but right now, I'm preoccupied."

She frowned. "Preoccupied with what?"

He grinned and then his lips met hers again. That thrill shot through her, the heat enveloping her the same way it had the night before. Would she ever get used this? She laughed against his lips when he started backing her towards the couch. She would get used to it eventually, she was sure, but right now she could revel in the fact that everything was so new. She felt like her body was a live wire now, her nerves exposed to every small touch. It was exhilarating and she couldn't get enough of it.

"Sit," she said quickly, pulling away.

He eyed her for a second and then sat down, watching her expectantly.

The simple fact that she had told him to sit and he had without question filled her with a giddy kind of wonder. She was in charge of whatever happened here. If she wanted to walk away, she could walk away and there would be no consequence. It was a good feeling. She quickly tore her shirt over her head and tossed it. Instantly his eyes left hers, wondering over her before he sat up and made a grab for her hand. She took a step back and shook her head. His brows went up but he leaned back again, letting her do whatever she wanted to do. She watched him take off his own shirt but then he simply made himself comfortable, leaning back into the couch, his sharp eyes never leaving her.

She reached behind her, ready to rid herself of her bra, and felt the ghost of that nervousness try to dim her mood. Instantly her eyes went to his and she felt it slip away. There wasn't anything to be nervous about. Especially after last night. She knew how he felt about her body and even if she hadn't heard him say it before, she could see the hunger in his eyes now. She quickly unclasped it and tossed it aside with the shirt.

Again he raised up but she shook her head. He sighed but leaned back again. When she went for the button on her jeans he watched her hands and then his own went for his own belt. His eyes came back up to hers, his brows raising in a silent question that caused her to grin. She nodded and then laughed as he breathed out an exaggeratedly relieved breath before he started working his belt open. He still didn't take his eyes off of her, watching as she slid her jeans and underwear down her legs.

His hands stilled as his eyes traveled over her. Before she could do anything at all he was pulling her down onto his lap. Coming up on her knees she laughed and pushed his shoulders back.

"You have no patience," she said, trying and failing to sound severe. As much as it pained her she removed his hands from her waist and he let them drop to his sides with a groan. She finished the job that he had abandoned, undoing his pants. She was suddenly consumed with the desire to touch him. Every time they had been together, he was always the one doing everything to her. She'd never really done anything back.

"You know, I'm startin' to see a pattern here," he said, his voice rough as she freed him from the confines of his pants. She ran her hand over the length of him and finally raised her eyes to meet his.

"Pattern?" She asked, repressing a smile when she saw him swallow hard.

He nodded. "Every time I piss you off, you end up gettin' turned on for some reason."

She chewed her lip, increasing the pressure. Instead of saying anything she kissed him. She wanted to keep it up but she was quickly returning to that strange place she had been the night before. She didn't just want him, she needed him. She broke the kiss and pulled back enough so she could meet his eyes. As soon as he saw the look on her face his hands went back to her hips. She moved quickly then, her forehead falling against his.

It took her a second to get her bearings but he was a patient man when he really wanted to be and with her, like this, his patience was unending. He guided her easily, stifling a groan into her neck once she got her rhythm down. His mouth traveled down her throat, his teeth nipping at her skin just hard enough to spur on her movements. Through the heat and the pleasure she vaguely wondered what it would be like to do the same. So, without worrying about consequences, she let her teeth sink into the side of his neck.

His breath hissed out of him in a rush and his hold on her tightened. She increased the pressure and was rewarded with one of those growls that seemed to rumble straight through her. It wasn't a warning sound, but a sound of satisfaction. Instantly her body reacted, knowing she was doing something that he liked and driving her own need to higher places.

"You like that?" She whispered, his reaction making her more bold.

He pulled back, his eyes narrowed on hers and that was when she felt his hand slip between them. She gasped and dropped her forehead to his shoulder. He played dirty but there wasn't anything she could do about it now because a few seconds later she felt her whole body shudder and then she could do nothing but hang on to him. She forgot about how angry she had been at him. She forgot about the worries he had dumped on her after coming home. She forgot about everything but him and the way his voice sounded in her ear as he cursed and then whispered her name. His body grew tense and then the heat of his release washed through her, taking her own pleasure to that higher place.

When she finally came back down she registered the feel of his hands roaming over her back. She wasn't really in a huge hurry to move just yet. She felt safe where she was. Instead of getting up she moved until her mouth was on his. The kiss was slow and lazy. "I don't want to move," she said, pulling away and dropping her head back to his shoulder.

A low laugh rumbled through his chest. "Well, we can't walk around like a couple of fucked up Siamese twins. Somebody would probably get offended."

She raised her head and stared at him for all of three seconds before she couldn't hold in the laughter anymore. "You're ridiculous," she said, wiping under her eyes.

He gripped her hips and then moved, quickly righting his pants and reaching down to snag her shirt from the floor. He kissed her once she had the shirt on. "You wanna jump in the shower and then call Hershel and Annette? You could cook somethin' up and they could come over since Merle's lewd ass isn't home."

She let him lead her up the stairs after she finally had her pants on. She knew what he was doing and she smiled. He wanted to distract her. He knew she would worry about what he had learned today and he was going to do whatever he could to keep her mind occupied. "That'll be nice."

"No it won't. But it'll beat watchin' you worry over somethin' we ain't got any control over," he said as he pulled her into the bathroom.


	37. Chapter 37

**Only six more chapters to go after this one! Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter** **Thirty Seven**

Time seemed to slip away much quicker than it ever had before. Things were running so smoothly that sometimes Merle found himself worrying that the sky was about to fall on their heads. Daryl seemed to share his concern whenever he came up for air. Dixons weren't used to things going smoothly. His brother was so goddamn head over heels over Carol that he mostly just sat around with a goofy lopsided grin on his face. The two of them kind of made Merle sick to his stomach but he'd never seen his brother this way before and that was worth the nausea. He didn't give them too much shit for it and when he did, they both knew that he was only ribbing them. Daryl deserved this. There was a lightness around the man now that had never been there before. Nausea or not, Merle was damn glad for Carol.

He hadn't expected to ever get to a point where he actually liked her. After that ill fated trip to the mall, though, things had changed. When she had explained to him the series of events that had brought her and Daryl together, he let go of his suspicion. She wanted the same thing that Merle wanted and that was for Daryl to be okay. He didn't show it much but Merle had felt that way since the day his mama had brought the little asshole home from the hospital. He'd made a vow the first time he'd laid eyes on the boy that he'd be a decent brother, that he would protect him, and he would always do everything he could to make sure he had a good life. He had broken every goddamn vow that passed his lips that day. But now maybe he could make up for it. He could stay out of trouble and he could contribute.

He had officially been out of jail for almost two months and he hadn't taken a hit of anything. It was a record and even Daryl seemed to notice. He still wanted it. He still craved that rush and he figured that he probably always would. It was just one of those things that he had to deal with. He just had to keep his ass away from it. He needed to do it for his sake but also his brother's.

"Merle!" Carol yelled from the kitchen.

He sighed and rolled off the couch, heading to the kitchen. "The fuck you yellin' about?" He grumbled as he stepped into the room. She was usually at work at this time of the afternoon but she'd came down with something the night before and Hershel had sent her home hours ago. It was just a bug going around and Merle had dealt with the same thing last week but he wasn't going to baby her for it, even though she had doted on him, and even missed work to take care of him while he had it. She still looked a little pale but she refused to take it easy for any reason at all.

"Is that what you're wearing?" She frowned as she looked him up and down. "It's a job interview, Merle! You need to dress the part."

He rolled his eyes. "I am dressed the part, dummy. I applied for a bouncer position. You yellin' for me to come in here just so you can bitch about my clothes?"

"Of course not. I made you lunch." She pointed at the table.

He looked over and shook his head. "You should just let Daryl knock you up. You're the mother henningest woman I've ever met in my life."

She seemed to grow more pale at that. "Shut up," she muttered, pouring him a glass of tea as he sat down. "I only wanted you to eat something because I don't trust that you won't drink while you're out and you shouldn't drink on an empty stomach."

He rolled his eyes and picked up the sandwich. Leave it to her to not even be able to make a plain old sandwich. It was piled high with meat and cheese, just like she knew he liked it. There was even a pickle on the plate next to the chips, like you'd see in a restaurant. "I'm a shoe in anyway. It's a toss up between me and this big goofy lookin'-"

"Merle," she crossed her arms over her chest.

He snorted and shook his head at her. "Anyway, I've known the owner for a while. She's the one that asked me to come in and apply."

"You aren't wanting to move out, are you?" She asked.

He glanced up and was surprised to see the concern on her face as she leaned against the counter. "No, but if I was why the hell would you care?"

She sighed. "Well, I like having you here."

This caused him to laugh out loud. "You know," he said, leaning back in his chair and talking around the last bite of food. "You might be the first person that's ever said that to me."

"Something tells me you bring it on yourself," she smiled.

He rolled his eyes and stood up, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair. "I'll see you around, sunshine. Got a job to snag so I can become a respectable member of society. Where the hell's the keys to your Jeep?"

"In the Jeep," she answered, dryly.

He sighed. "How many goddamn times I gotta tell you to stop doin' that?"

"We live in the middle of nowhere. No one is going to walk all the way out here to steal my Jeep."

He shook his head and left her staring after him.

"Good luck!" She called.

He was a little more than surprised when he was put right to work. The owner had told him that he could put in a few hours just to get a feel for the job. So far Merle had done nothing but stand against the wall by the door the whole time being bored out of his mind. It was barely after noon so there weren't many people there to watch out for. He hoped it would be more exciting at night or he was just going to have to keep looking. He was sick of just standing around already.

"Excuse me-"

Merle looked over at the waitress that had spoken. He took her in in one long sweep. Dark blonde hair, brown eyes, shy smile. He'd do her, even if she did seem a little on the shy side. Those were usually the ones that would end up blowing your mind in the sack. "What can I do for ya, darlin'?"

"Karen sent me over here to tell you that you could go now and she'd see you tomorrow at six," she said quickly.

He flashed her a grin. "Guess I'll be seein' you around then."

"Have a nice night," she said as she turned and hurried off to one of the tables that needed taken care of.

He checked out her ass for longer than necessary and then turned to leave. He was almost to the door when he saw him. Ed Peletier. He wouldn't forget that ugly face any time soon. Ed must not have gotten a good look at him that day at the mall because he walked right past him. Merle narrowed his eyes and leaned against the wall again, waiting to see what Ed was going to do.

"You've gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me," he growled as Ed walked up to the waitress and placed a hand on her back. She turned her shy smile on Ed. The man kissed her cheek and then sauntered off to find a table further towards the back wall.

The woman fit the role. She seemed quiet and unassuming. Someone like Ed would be drawn to a woman like that for reasons much different than Merle's. This poor woman hadn't known the other man long. She couldn't have. If so then she would have shown fear at seeing him and she clearly hadn't. It wasn't any of his business. He wasn't a fucking baby sitter. It was one thing to look out for Carol. She was his brother's woman and it was his his job to keep her safe when Daryl couldn't. This stranger was another story altogether. This wasn't his battle.

~H~

Carol had the front door open before Daryl could even step out of the truck. She felt much better than she had last night and she had been without her car all day and she was feeling stir crazy. He didn't tow cars anymore. The lead mechanic had moved away, leaving the spot open and Daryl had been quick to take the man's place. His pay had raised but he was stuck working some Saturdays.

"You look better," he observed with a grunt as she plowed into him.

"I feel better," she said as she stepped back and looked him over. "Damn it. You're filthy. Go take a shower and take me out."

He chuckled. "You think I feel like leavin' again after a hard days work? This is the part where I come in and you got somethin' hot waiting for me on the table."

She followed him inside. "Do you realize how long it's been since I've been anywhere other than work? Both of us stay in this house all the time. I want to go visit Tara. I want to see other people."

"Ouch," he muttered as he slipped his jacket off.

"You know what I mean. I feel like doing something."

"You got spring fever. It happens," he observed as he pulled off his work boots.

She studied him carefully. He had grease smeared on his jaw and his work shirt was covered in oil stains. His jeans were ripped at the knees and more oil and grease stains marred the denim. "What's spring fever?"

He shrugged. "It's getting warmer out. Flowers blooming, leaves sprouting out on the trees, birds singing, bees buzzing. All that shit. Makes you wanna get out of the house."

"Then get me out of the house. Please," she grinned as he sighed tiredly.

"Fine. I've been ready to get out myself."

An hour later they were heading towards the diner and for the first time it was nice enough to roll down the window. She was excited for warmer weather. She was feeling excited for all of the possibilities that were in front of her now. It was with this overwhelming feeling of excitement that she blurted out something that had been on her mind for a few days now.

"Will you ever want children?" She asked suddenly.

He veered off the road slightly before righting the truck. She was careful not to look at him but she could see out of the corner of her eye that he was staring at her. Eventually he collected himself and looked back at the road. "Where the hell did that come from?"

She shrugged. "Merle mentioned something about it this morning and it got me wondering if you would ever want something like that." She braced herself for his answer, dreading hearing him tell her that he would never want to have a family with her. Not that she wanted anything like that _now_. They seemed to be a very solid unit but they hadn't been together for very long. It still wouldn't hurt to know how he felt about certain things.

"Oh God!" He hit the breaks and pulled off onto the side of the road.

She looked at him, her eyes wide. "What's wrong?"

"Is that why you were sick?" His eyes were wide and frantic, his face pale.

She shook her head. "Of course not! I was just bringing it up to see if it was ever something you would consider. Obviously it isn't!"

He looked back at the road and checked his side mirror to make sure no traffic was coming up on them. "It ain't that."

She snorted. "You nearly crashed and then pulled over! It's okay. I have you. I don't need a house full of kids."

"But you want that, don't you?" He asked after a minute.

She nodded. "I do. Maybe later, that is. I don't want that right now."

He nodded, seeming relieved. "Later is good. Don't fuckin' scare me like that."

"Would it really be so bad? You'd make a great father."

He groaned. "Not right now I wouldn't. I ain't ever considered it. I wasn't ever with anybody long enough... or at all, actually."

She couldn't help but laugh softly. "Well, I won't bring it up for at least a few more weeks."

He shot her a look and then shook his head. "Ass," he muttered.

"Baby hater," she grinned.

He laughed out loud at that, reaching over until he found her hand.


	38. Chapter 38

**Sorry this chapter is so short. Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Thirty Eight**

Daryl grumbled when he pulled in and saw how crowded the place was. It seemed like everyone else had the same idea Carol had had. He should have just told her they could eat outside at home. Now he was stuck dealing with a crowd of people.

"Stop scowling," she said as she came around the side of the truck.

"I'm not," he lied.

She shook her head. Just as they reached the sidewalk a group of four women came out the door, laughing and chatting with one another. He moved over so they could get past them. One of them looked up and then smiled. He knew that look well and he wanted nothing to do with it. He avoided eye contact with the stranger and waited for her to pass. Unfortunately, she didn't. She stopped right in front of him like she didn't even see Carol standing there not even a half a foot away.

"Do I know you from somewhere," she asked, smiling coyly.

"Nope," he said, putting enough gruff in his voice for her to easily get the hint.

"Oh, I thought we may have met before. You look so familiar."

A quiet laugh had Daryl and the woman looking over. Carol was watching them intently. "I'm sorry, go on. That was rude of me."

Daryl stared at her before looking back over at the woman in front of him. The woman wasn't smiling anymore. "Excuse me, is something funny?" The woman asked, seeming to just now notice Carol there.

Carol waved her hand, "No, please. Carry on. This is the first time I've ever seen anyone use that line. I'm curious as to whether it actually works."

Daryl felt his eyebrows shoot up. There wasn't a trace of jealousy in her voice but there was something in her eyes he had never seen before.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" The woman asked.

Carol shook her head, her face nothing but pure innocence even though Daryl could see a flash of anger brighten the color of her cheeks. "No, I don't think we've met. If you had actually met either of us I'm sure you would know that this guy isn't the least bit interested and his girlfriend is five seconds away from physically stopping you from humping his leg." She smiled.

"Okay, let's go," Daryl said, grabbing Carol by the hand and yanking her towards the door while the woman was momentarily dumbstruck. She resisted for a second until he wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her along with him.

"Can you believe that woman!" Carol fumed as she stormed into the diner. "The nerve of her! I was standing right there!"

He kept a firm grip on her hand, still not able to believe she had just tried to start a fight with some stranger. "Calm down," he muttered as he pulled out a chair and forced her into it. It was nothing but luck that they had found a table at all.

"Don't you tell me to calm down, Daryl Dixon. If some man did the same to me I'm sure you'd be mad about it."

He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "I didn't think you had that in you."

"What?" She looked up, blue eyes flashing.

"You wanted to kick that woman's ass." He wanted to laugh but he didn't.

"Did you see the way she was looking at you! It was borderline pornographic. She was five seconds away from ripping your clothes off!"

He shook his head. "You're kind of making a mountain out of a mole hill, there, Carol. Maybe she actually thought she knew me." He knew that that hadn't been the case at all but he couldn't get over this unexpected anger. She rarely ever had a temper.

She scoffed. "You're a horrible liar. You know what she wanted."

He looked up just in time to see Tara walking towards them. She seemed distracted, jotting something down on her note pad before stopping in front of their table. "Evening. What can I get for you tonight?" She asked without looking up.

Daryl and Carol shared a look. "Two burgers and one large fry," Daryl said quickly.

Tara's head shot up and she smiled at him. "Daryl! How have you been? I didn't even realize it was you." Her eyes slid over to Carol and she beamed. "Oh this is fantastic. It was the Sundae wasn't it? I helped the two of you seal the deal. I deserve a huge tip."

Carol smiled. "How have you been?"

"Lonely. You stole my favorite customer, but I'm glad." She studied Carol more closely. "My God, you look so much different. You look great."

Carol glanced at him before looking back up at Tara. "Not really," she said, blushing slightly.

Daryl thought it was pretty funny that she could be embarrassed by Tara's scrutiny when not even five minutes ago she was ready to fight some random woman.

"No, I'm being serious. You look like a different woman. I hardly recognized you."

"You're really pushing for that tip, huh?" Carol said with a smile.

Tara winked and then strolled away. Daryl watched her go, a frown creasing his brow. "She seem a little off to you?"

Carol put her chin in her hands and looked up at him. "So she compliments me and you jump to the conclusion that she's somehow off?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head. "Shut up. I'm serious."

She glanced towards the door where Tara disappeared. "Should we ask her if everything is okay? I know you like her a lot."

He shook his head. "None of my business."

"You are such a man. If you think there's something wrong you should try to get it out of her. Maybe we can help."

"You are such a woman," he mocked. "Always thinkin' that you should stick your nose in other people's business."

She wrinkled her nose at him just as Tara came back and sat their drinks down. "Tara, is everything okay? Daryl's worried about you."

Tara gave them both a skeptical look but finally she sighed. "It's my sister."

Daryl looked up. "You have a sister?"

Carol rolled her eyes at him and then focused back on Tara. "Is she okay?"

Tara shrugged. "I have two sisters, Daryl. And I don't know. She's been dating some guy for a month or so. I haven't even met him and she comes home last night talking about how he's asked her to move in with him or something. She isn't even really that into him but she feels sorry for him. And of course when I give her my two cents, she just gets mad and then says she's seriously thinking about it. She probably only said it to get under my skin, but it worked."

Carol smiled. "That isn't so bad. I only knew Daryl for a day before I moved in with him."

Tara chuckled. "Yeah but that's Daryl. He's great. I just wish I knew more about the guy. She's my older sister but I kind of feel responsible for her since our dad's been sick. She's sweet, ya know. Kind of too trusting when it comes to certain things. Both of my sisters are actually. It's probably fine though. Definitely nothing that you two are interested in."

Carol smiled sweetly. "I'm sure your sister's gonna be fine."

Tara nodded. "Yeah, I hope so," she said before she strolled away.

Daryl groaned when he saw that Carol's eyes grew troubled as she watched Tara walk away. When she finally turned to look at him she did exactly what he knew she was going to do. "I feel so bad for her. Did you see how worried she was?"

He nodded.

"We should try to help."

He sat his glass down and shook his head. "It's none of our business. She's just being a sister. I used to worry about Merle the same way. It's nothing."

"I was none of your business," she countered. "You didn't know me at all and you did everything for me."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I made you my business. That doesn't mean I make a habit of sticking my nose where it don't belong."

"That isn't what I want you to do!"

Tara showed back up then with their order. "Here you go. Man, I can't believe how packed this place is," she muttered, checking her notepad again. She went to turn around but Carol caught her eye quickly, ignoring the warning look Daryl was giving her.

"Tara, maybe you can invite your sister and her boyfriend to our place this coming weekend for dinner. If the weather holds then maybe we can grill out or something."

Tara's face lit up. "That sounds like a great idea. Maybe I can finally get to meet this guy. And it wouldn't be as awkward."

Daryl chewed, eyeing Carol meaningfully but she ignored him, grinning as she picked up her cheeseburger. "Why the hell did you go and do that for?"

Carol shrugged lightly. "It was a good idea. You heard her."

He shook his head. "You're impossible."

She rolled her eyes. "And you're adorable."

He snorted but he didn't reply. She was trying to distract him from the fact that next weekend he was going to be stuck dealing with people. He didn't want to have to deal with people on his damn days off and she knew it. But she already brought it up and he couldn't be a dick and tell Tara that the plans were off.

"Maybe it would be good for you to meet new people. Don't you get tired of spending all your time with me?" She asked after a while.

He glanced towards the windows that looked out on the parking lot. "If I'd known you wanted me to make friends I woulda got that lady's number before you scared her off. She seemed nice." He winced when she kicked him in the shin.

"Next time I'm aiming higher," she grumbled.

He hid a grin. "When the hell did you become so violent?"

She ignored him and dipped her fry in his ketchup. "When did you become such a wimp?"

He shook his head, laughing at that. "You're gonna pay for that when we get home."

She waved him off. "Empty threats."


	39. Chapter 39

**This is kind of filler so I'm sorry about that! Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Thirty Nine**

Carol stood in the hallway chewing her lip nervously. "Are you sure about this?" She asked, not for the first time.

He stopped as he walked from his room to hers, his arms full of his clothes. He sighed and looked at her incredulously. "It don't make any damn sense for me to use a whole bedroom as a closet. I'm always in your room. What does it matter if my clothes are in there or in here?"

"It doesn't, really. It's just a big step." She knew how stupid it sounded but this really did feel like a big step. She followed him into her room and watched as he made room for his own things in her closet.

"So, moving in with me after only knowing me for a day wasn't a big step. Sleeping with me after a few weeks wasn't a big step. Talkin' about havin' kids with me wasn't a big step. Calling yourself my girlfriend to a complete stranger wasn't a big step. But this," he gestured to the clothes. "Sharing a closet with me is finally where you draw the line? This is what makes you nervous?"

"Well when you say it like that it just sounds stupid," she grumbled, grabbing a pillow off the bed and sitting down. "You won't have your own space when you want to get away from me."

He turned, hands on his hips. "I don't have my own space now! I sleep in here. Every damn night when it's time to go to bed this is where we both go. Then when I get up for work I have to go back to my room and get my shit together. It's stupid. And I never want to get away from you, I won't ever get to the point where I want to get away from you. You're stuck with me, so shut up and let me hang my clothes in peace."

"Merle's gonna crack jokes all night," she said, keeping her eyes on him. She wanted to make sure he wasn't doing this just for her benefit. He didn't seem like he was only doing it for her. As a matter of fact his grumpy declaration had her stomach doing a strange little flip. "Did that bother you? When I called myself your girlfriend?"

He side eyed her. "No."

"We've never really made anything official," she said hesitantly.

"Yeah, well. Me and you kind of do shit backwards."

"We do, don't we?" She smiled, thinking about how incredibly different her life was, how incredibly different she was, only months after she had left her husband.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the bed. "You got somethin' in the mail today. I forgot to tell you," he said, pulling a folded envelope from his pocket and passing it to her.

She looked down and read the return address. "You forgot about this!" She nearly shrieked.

He shrugged. "I just stuck it in my pocket. Why? Who's it from?" He tried to pluck it from her hands but she turned and danced out of his way.

She ripped the envelope open and quickly unfolded the thick legal paper. She read it and then she read it again before he poked her in the ribs, his eyes questioning. "I'm divorced," she said in a hushed voice full of shock and wonder. She reread it again and then grinned.

His only response was a grunt as he read over the paper she handed him. His expression was surprisingly devoid of emotion.

"Why are you not as excited as I am about this?" She asked, snatching the paper back from him.

He shrugged. "Kinda liked getting in bed with a married woman every night. Made it kinda dirty." His cool exterior finally cracked and he smiled. She could see the relief in his eyes.

She smacked him in the arm. "You're ridiculous," she said quickly. "I'm framing this and hanging it right above the bed."

He snorted. "I ain't wakin' up every mornin' and looking at Ed Peletier's signature. Even if I am glad to see it on there."

"I can't believe he signed it. I thought I would have to fight tooth and nail to get this done," she said happily. She looked up and seen the troubled look on his face and all of her happiness dimmed. "You don't think..."

He shook his head. "Surely not," he said, guessing her thoughts.

"But what if he's moved on to another woman and that's why he gave in?" She asked, watching as he sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. "What if that woman you saw him with is falling for his crap?

"I don't know," was his quiet reply.

"If I could find out who it is then maybe I can talk to her. Maybe I can warn her that he isn't who she thinks he is."

His head shot up at that, his eyes going hard. "To get to her you'd have to go near him and that ain't happenin'. If you want me to handle it then I'll handle it but you're staying out of it."

She understood his fear. It hadn't been that long ago that he had came home and confessed that he had went after Ed himself and she had been livid. Their life was nearly perfect here and she couldn't imagine either of them doing something to mess that up. But she also knew that she couldn't just sit back and do nothing while some other woman endured that kind of abuse. She would never be able to live with herself. "I'm not having you risk getting in trouble."

He shrugged. "Then I guess we just hope for the best for whoever he goes after next."

"Doesn't Merle know a hit man or something? He's very resourceful," she suggested, her face deadly serious.

Daryl blinked in surprise. "What?"

"You know, murder for hire or something like that. We've been saving money," she said, knowing that she sounded like someone that would have a featured story on the Investigation Discovery channel.

"That's it," he said, standing up. "You've been spending too much time with Merle. You need to stop hanging out with him so much."

"It was just a suggestion," she muttered.

"Besides, I already asked him and he doesn't know anyone."

Her head shot up and she smiled slightly despite the grim conversation. "You did?"

He nodded.

"You would have someone killed for me? You're so romantic," she smiled.

He scoffed. "Shut up."

~H~

Merle decided to have one beer before he left. He had been itching to get his hands on Ed for a long time now but Daryl had been right. One more strike and his ass was toast. He'd get a lot of years and he didn't want to risk that. Now, that's not saying if the bastard started something that Merle couldn't defend himself. But he wasn't risking it. Not today. Ed would have to do something really stupid for Merle to risk it all on him.

Like look at him the wrong way.

"Would you like anything else?"

Merle looked up and it was none other than Ed's apparent girlfriend. "Nah, I'm drivin'. Best not to overindulge."

"Oh, okay then."

"You work tomorrow?" Merle asked suddenly.

She stopped and turned, looking around like she was surprised he had said anything to her. "Yes. I work tomorrow. Do you work tomorrow?"

He nodded and stood up. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow then."

She smiled and walked away, glancing over her shoulder. It was obvious to him that the woman was at least a little interested in him. He wasn't planning on mentioning this to Daryl. Daryl had a bad habit of feeling responsible. He would want to do something about it right away because Daryl was the sweet one and that was just how he was. So Merle decided right there that he would try to befriend the woman and then once she was hooked he would try to worm his way into her good graces. From the looks of her, giving him that sultry look from over her shoulder and shit, he might even make it his mission to worm his way into her pants while he was at it. Maybe he was on a road to some sort of redemption but he was still Merle Dixon damn it.

He turned his head and caught Ed glaring at him. Merle was about to wink at him but then decided not to push the man's buttons. If Merle pissed him off then it could very well be that woman that pays for it and he didn't want that to happen.

Instead he threw a few bills on the table and walked out, pretending like he never noticed Ed at all. He was still sure the man hadn't recognized him. He didn't want him associating Merle with Carol. Not yet, anyway. Ed would get his in due time, Merle was sure of that. But that time wasn't now.

On his way home he thought about turning around more than once to confront Ed but he ignored the urge. That was one of those things that he needed to work on. His impulse control. Ed wouldn't be around all the time and it shouldn't take him long to get into the woman's head and figure her out. Once she trusted him enough maybe then he would let her know exactly who she was messing with. He probably wouldn't even bother if it wasn't for his brother but if Daryl knew there was another woman in the same situation, he may try to do something about it.

When he opened the door to the house it was quiet for all of five seconds and then Carol was tearing down the stairs like her ass was on fire. She was grinning and clutching something in her hand. Before he could even say anything she threw her arms around him in a fierce hug. It was so unexpected that he stumbled backwards a little before his arm went around her and he was able to steady them both.

"Look!" She beamed as something was thrust into his face.

He took the paper from her and read over it, understanding her excitement now. "Well I'll be damned. No wonder you're all hyped up. I didn't think the bastard would sign." He handed the paper back to her and smacked her on the ass just as Daryl was coming down the stairs.

"Isn't it!" She grinned, ignoring the slap she received like it was just a normal occurrence. Actually, it kind of was. But Merle couldn't help it. He was handsy and she had a great ass. Daryl just shook his head.

"Now you two can work on your weddin' plans and all that fun shit," Merle winked as Daryl flushed deeply. Carol stared at Merle with wide eyes. "You're right! You could help me pick out flowers and a dress! You could be the wedding planner!"

"Shut up you two," Daryl grumbled as he passed them.

Merle and Carol followed him. "Oh come on. You two have been actin' married since I've been here. You might as well make it official. It'd make an honest woman out of you, Carol. You've been committing adultery now for too damn long."

Carol grinned but Daryl did what he usually did when Merle started talking. He ignored him. That was alright though because he'd keep ribbing him over this for a while. It was obvious that the talk of marriage made his baby brother squirm.


	40. Chapter 40

**We're down to three chapters after this one and I promise that I'm scrambling to get something else finished! Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Forty**

Daryl slid the blanket further down her back. He knew she was awake but she was feigning sleep. She was sprawled out on her stomach with her arms shoved under the pillow. Her eyes were still closed but the corners of her lips turned up, giving her away. He pulled the blanket down further, revealing a substantial amount of skin. He kissed her bare shoulder but she didn't stir. He moved further down, his lips trailing down her spine, breathing deeply the scent of her warm skin.

They had fought most of the night about the stupid plans she had made and he was feeling it this morning. He didn't like fighting with her but damn if he wasn't still pissed off that his Saturday off was going to be spent dealing with people. She had kept in contact with Tara all week and the weather had held so now they were hosting a cook out.

He moved lower, his lips still making their slow way down her back and she sighed, not hiding her smile anymore. Goosebumps followed the length of her spine and then he nipped her hard, on purpose.

She cried out, rolling over and slapping his shoulder. She looked outraged. "Did you just bite me on the ass?"

He nodded sagely.

She glared. "Why would you do that?"

He shrugged and hopped out of bed, landing lightly on his feet and shoving his legs into his jeans. "I figured that since you insist on being a pain in my ass then it was only fair that I get to be a pain in yours."

She made a face and slipped his shirt on. "It isn't going to kill you to be sociable for once. Can't you just be happy that I'm happy that we're doing something other than sitting around the house or stopping in at the diner?"

He shrugged. "I'm happy when you're happy. I ain't happy when I gotta do shit that I don't wanna do just to keep you that way."

"Merle seems to be okay with it," she countered, pulling a pair of jeans out of the closet.

"That's cause he don't mind people. I do. I don't like them."

She rolled her eyes. "You talk to Glenn. You have friends at the shop. You've talked to Merle's friends when they've shown up here. You like Tara and Rosita. You're going to like Abe."

He grimaced. "Those are people that I talk to on my terms. I see Glenn at his work. Tara and Rosita too. That don't mean we're buddies that hang out at each others houses."

She muttered to herself as she stormed out of the room. They had already been through all of this the night before but she wasn't budging. He could think of a ton of things that would be better than spending the day with all those people. Like spending the day by himself. He hated crowds.

Merle was already up, digging through the refrigerator. He glanced up, licking his finger. "She made pudding."

Daryl scowled. "Don't stick your damn fingers in it."

Merle rolled his eyes, took another swipe and then stood up. "I told you not to stick your fingers in her and you didn't listen. Why the fuck should I listen to you? Besides, I fuckin' love pudding."

Daryl shook his head. "She sees that you put your grimy paws in it and you're gonna have to listen to her mouth."

"I washed my hands," Merle said loftily as he grabbed the cup of coffee that Daryl poured himself.

Daryl shook his head and poured himself another cup. "That's good to know. You still double dipped."

Merle chuckled. "You didn't do any double dipping last night. I swear it's the first night in a long time I wasn't kept up till the wee hours. How the fuck do either of you even get up for work? You fuck like bunnies."

Daryl felt his face flush. "Shut up."

"She pissed at you for something?"

Daryl nodded. "Yeah. She wants me to be all gung ho about this stupid cook out and I ain't."

Merle gave him a sympathetic look but Daryl didn't trust it. "Didn't you say that when she first came around you she was always worried about saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing. At least now she knows that she can give you hell without you knockin' her stupid."

Daryl sighed. "Yeah, I guess there is that."

Carol chose that moment to breeze into the room, offering Merle a smile. She didn't smile at Daryl. She ignored him. She opened the fridge and peered in, taking inventory of everything she had already prepared. She turned around, scowling. "Who put their finger in the pudding?"

Merle sipped his coffee and pointed to Daryl. "He did. He said if he had to look at all those fucks today then he was gonna get samples of everything and he wasn't gonna wash his hands."

"You lying bastard," Daryl barked.

Carol glared at Daryl some more but she didn't say anything else. She took the cup right out of his hands and sat down at the table.

Daryl threw his hands in the air. "What the hell do you want? What am I gonna have to do for you to stop actin' like a spoiled ass brat."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You bit me."

Merle's brows shot up. "You what?" He asked, trying hard not to laugh.

She looked at him. "He bit me. He was mad about the cook out and he bit me. Bit me right on my ass."

"You liked it," Daryl said, trying not to grin.

"That isn't the point," she muttered.

Merle couldn't hold it in any longer. He cracked up, causing Carol's scowl to deepen. She took her coffee and stormed out the back door, onto the porch, and let the door slam shut behind her. Merle looked up at him from under his brow. "You're gonna have to do some serious ass kissin', little brother. She's gonna end up hanging both of us before the days out."

Daryl shook his head and followed her. Merle was right. He had given her enough grief all week. It was time for him to suck it up and stop complaining. Especially since it was doing him no good. He had no intentions of kissing anyone's ass but he would give her a break for now. She was sitting on the top step, pointedly ignoring him even though she had to have heard him come out. He sat down behind her, trapping her between his legs. She tried to get away but he wrapped an arm around her waist and held on until she gave up.

"Are you finished pouting?" She asked, finally leaning into his chest once she realized he wasn't letting her go.

"I wasn't pouting," he muttered.

"You've been on my case all week," she muttered, her voice glum.

"Yeah, and it didn't work so I guess I'm gonna call a truce."

She sighed, turning her head and kissing his jaw quickly. "Is it really going to be so bad?"

He shook his head. "I doubt it. I'm just preparing myself for the worst."

"Do you plan on being nice?" She asked, leaning her head back against his shoulder.

He snorted. "I'm always nice." He finally let her go when she tried to get away again but she didn't go far. She turned and shoved him down onto his back roughly. He grabbed her around the waist before she could climb off of him. She fought a grin and finally gave up, bracing herself with her arms and kissing him hard. For a second he forgot that they were on the porch. He gripped the back of her head and kissed her even harder, demanding. Last night was the first night they hadn't actually been together since that insane night in the kitchen. He didn't think one night would make much difference but it obviously did. He wanted her and he wanted her now.

She sighed into his mouth when his hands ran down her back, gripping her hips. She had a thing about being on top. He assumed that it made her feel more in control and since she'd never had that before, she loved having the option now. He didn't mind either. Whatever she wanted to do was what they did. Not because he was some sort of pushover but because she had never had that before.

His hands slid up the back of her shirt, causing her to squirm. She whimpered against his lips, settling lower so she was pressed against him more firmly.

Suddenly she screamed, jerking up as she gasped for breath, her chest heaving. "Merle!" She yelled, between gasps.

Daryl wasn't sure what the hell just happened. Not until a blast of cold water hit his chest. He sat up, catching Carol around the waist right before she could topple off of him and fall down the back steps.

Merle was standing there with a pitcher dangling from one hand, one eyebrow raised.

"You asshole!" Carol shouted, chest still heaving. Her hair clung to her cheeks and neck, dripping wet.

"You two were about to get it on right out here on the porch. You needed cooling off," he said with a grin. "Nice bra."

Daryl looked down from her face to her chest and sure enough, her white tank top was now see through and her sheer pink bra, one of his personal favorites, was visible. Along with everything else. She blanched and crossed her arms over her chest before she pulled herself up.

"You're a pig," she snapped as she stormed past him.

"And you got great tits," he countered.

Daryl punched him hard in the kidney on his way past, causing him to grunt in pain and throw the pitcher at him. Daryl followed her up the stairs, catching her wrist before she made it to the bathroom. He pulled her into their room and slammed the door, locking it quickly.

"I love your brother, I really do, but sometimes I want too strang-" She wasn't able to finish her sentence because his lips were on hers as soon as the lock turned.

She started tugging his own wet shirt up so he backed away just long enough to strip it off. She wasn't as insecure as she used to be. She took off her own shirt and then he was pushing her towards the wall, his hands working her jeans down her hips as he went. By the time he had her against the wall she had him freed from his pants and he was lifting her, giving her no choice but to wrap her legs around his waist.

He met her eyes because he'd never do anything unless he was sure that she wanted him to do it. Her eyes softened, and she nodded, biting her lip, anticipation clear on her face. In one deep thrust he was buried inside her, kissing her hard to cut off her cries. He didn't care if his brother heard them but he knew she would.

Her nails bit into his shoulders, breaking skin but he didn't care. The pain only heightened the pleasure that she was giving him and he almost lost his rhythm. His name escaped her lips and her head fell back into the wall. He was close. Very close and when her eyes widened and met his he felt her tightening around him. He kissed her again, drinking in the sounds so they wouldn't carry beyond the door and then he had to pull his face away as he joined her.

He was working on catching his breath, his face buried in the crook of her neck. He didn't want to move just yet. He could feel her body shudder with aftershocks. He reluctantly moved, steadying her until her feet were planted on the ground. He was luckier than most because that quick tryst wouldn't have lasted long enough to please many women.

He righted his pants, his breathing still coming out uneven. None of the water had gotten on his jeans so all he had to do was change his shirt. She had taken the brunt of the blast of water. She was standing there in front of the open closet door, completely naked now, sifting through her clothes since she had gotten soaked. He leaned against the wall, watching her. He had no idea how the hell he got so lucky. She had a body that wouldn't quit, it drove him out of his fucking mind. She was funny and caring. She was patient and understanding. Off the top of his head he couldn't think of one flaw. Not one.

She pulled out a shirt and then glanced over her shoulder, her face flushing when her eyes met his. "Pervert," she grinned.

"I love you," he said, not thinking about the words at all before they came tumbling out of his mouth. They startled him, and they seemed to startle her too. He meant the words so he didn't regret them but he wished he had chosen a different moment to say them. Not right after taking her up against the wall. Not while ogling her body.

She blinked, her amused smile faltering. She hurriedly fought the shirt over her head and then walked up to him, looking up at him with impossibly wide eyes that were misty now. Her hands went to his shoulders. "Do you mean that or is it just some after sex thing that just slipped out?"

He scowled. "You know I mean it. And look, I know that I ain't the first person to say it to you. But I do think I'm the first person to say it because it's what the fuck I'm feelin', so you ain't gotta say it back. But I do and you know I do." He swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his chest.

She kissed him, her lips soft against his. When she pulled back she met his eyes. "I love you too. And I know you mean it. I shouldn't have asked that."

He didn't think those words would have much impact on him but they did. He hadn't been sure if she was ready for something like that but the relief he felt was shocking.


	41. Chapter 41

**Hope you all had a good weekend! Thanks for reading =)**

 **Chapter Forty One**

A timid knock at the front door had Merle straightening up quickly and slamming the refrigerator closed. For a second he thought he'd gotten busted again. He licked his finger and glanced at the clock. Carol had been running him and his brother ragged for the last few hours, hauling tables out of the shed and setting up the food out back.

He licked his fingers clean as he headed for the front door. He didn't look out the peep hole before opening it up but once he saw who was standing there he damn near choked on the glob of pudding he was in the process of swallowing.

"Merle?"

"Maddy?" He glanced behind her and saw a dark haired girl and an Asian guy climbing the steps. "What the fuck are you doin' here?" He asked, his eyes going back to hers.

She glanced at the couple behind her and then looked back at him and shrugged. "I was invited. Well, my little sister and I. This your place?"

Merle nodded. "Yeah but it ain't my party. Where's your guy? He comin'?" Merle asked, watching as another car pulled up.

"He isn't. He got called into work but he did say he would stop by later on if he could. How did you manage to get a Saturday off?" She asked.

He opened his mouth to tell her that he bent their boss over her desk and then asked her for a favor once he knew she'd gotten off but he caught himself. "Karen owed me a favor," he said, moving out of the way and motioning for them to come in.

"Lucky," she said with a smile as she passed him.

He nodded, his eyes scanning the yard once more. What were the goddamn odds of the very woman Ed was dating being the sister of one of Carol's friends? That was just fucking perfect."

Four more people got out of the car that had just parked. Two men and two women. He nodded as they climbed the steps. Where the fuck was his brother and Carol?

Once everyone was inside he led them through the house, towards the back door. His brother was coming in just as they reached the kitchen. Merle expected him to grimace at the group but he didn't. He had a serene kind of look on his face and he nodded towards the back door.

"Carol's out back," he said, moving out of their way. Merle watched him and when Maddy walked past he saw Daryl's eyes widen slightly. She was a looker and had it been anyone else Merle would have assumed that she was being appraised but Daryl wasn't just anybody. If he was showing interest in this woman, it was because he somehow knew she was affiliated with Ed Peletier. He wasn't sure how exactly but Merle knew and when Daryl turned wide eyes on him Merle nodded, letting him know he understood.

Once the group was out the door Daryl shut it hurriedly. "Do you know who the fuck that is?" He hissed, pointing to the door.

Merle nodded. "Yeah. She's a waitress."

"That woman was dating Ed," Daryl said quickly.

Merle nodded. " _Is_ dating Ed. He comes into the bar to see her sometimes."

Daryl ran a hand through his hair, his eyes growing frantic. "He can't know that Carol lives here. The things that fucking psycho will do to her..." His voice trailed off and a disgusted look came over his face. "Merle, you ain't got a fuckin' clue what that man did to her in that house. If you did-"

"I know," Merle cut in, his voice dark even to his own ears. "I already know."

"Is he comin' here?" Daryl asked, glancing behind Merle like the man was about to come right through the doorway.

"Maddy said he might stop by later on," Merle said with a shrug.

"Fuck," Daryl growled.

Merle gripped his upper arms hard, his face close as Daryl's eyes locked onto his. "You listen to me," Merle said in a low voice, loosening his grip once he knew he had Daryl's attention. There was a hopeful look in brother's eyes that Merle hadn't seen since Daryl had been a kid. A look that seemed to say that Daryl trusted that Merle had answers. That there was a problem and Merle was going to take care of it for him. It made him feel good. It made him think he could be the brother that he'd promised Daryl he could be way back when he'd just been a twelve year old boy with big dreams. "He ain't gonna get a chance to do a damn thing, you understand me?"

Daryl opened his mouth to argue but the look on Merle's face had him closing his mouth again and nodding along.

"I'm gonna keep tabs on the woman. Surely he'll call her up or text or some shit and let her know he's on his way. That's a good thing. When he gets here, I'll take care of it."

"Those two guys that just went out back are cops, Merle. The same damn ones that arrested him at the diner. They know him and they know all the gory details. You can't do any-"

"You let me handle that," Merle said, dropping his hands and stepping back. He reached out and slapped Daryl in the side of the head.

"You stupid asshole!" Daryl barked, "What the hell was that for?"

"That was for invitin' the damn police to our house you dumb fuck!" Merle hissed and then he headed out the door.

~H~

Carol was excited. She was beyond excited. Hershel and Annette were there, Shane and his girlfriend had made it, carpooling with Rick and his wife. Tara and Glenn and Tara's sister Maddy. Merle's strange little friend Axel was there but she avoided him. Two of Daryl's friends, Oscar and Martinez showed up too and she loved them.

"Your friend is here," Daryl said into her ear.

She turned around and saw Abe Ford strolling towards them. He swept his eyes over her and then grinned. "You be nice. He's a married man, Daryl," Carol said in a quiet voice.

"I'm nice," Daryl winked at her and then tipped up his beer, his eyes going back to the man.

Abe hugged her quickly. "You look great, Carol."

She smiled, "You too. How have you been?"

He nodded. "Can't complain. This one of your roommates?" He asked, shaking Daryl's hand.

Daryl nodded before she could say anything. "Yep."

She glared at him. "Actually, we... we're not just roommates."

Abe looked between them and then nodded. "Well, you look damn happy. I'm glad you found somebody that treats you good. I wouldn't mind getting another crack at your ex husband though."

She offered Daryl a smug look. He had been sure that Abe had ulterior motives for coming today and she had argued on Abe's behalf. The man seemed genuinely pleased that she was happy. Daryl just shrugged.

"Your house is awesome," Tara said, drawing Carol's attention away from the newcomer.

Carol grinned. "I love this house, but it isn't mine. He just rents me a room, that he insists on sharing with me. This is all his."

Daryl glared at both of them and then walked away, heading towards the spot where Hershel was chatting with Merle and Tara's sister.

"He's so sensitive," Tara laughed, bumping her shoulder into Carol's.

"Tell me about it," Carol said watching him walk away. "Come on Abe. I'll introduce you to everyone else."

~H~

Daryl was amazed. He watched as Merle spun his magic web and couldn't believe that he was the same ill tempered, bitchy, mean spirited hot headed brother that Daryl was so used to. Maddy seemed to hang on his every word. She laughed at his idiotic jokes and she listened intently to his idiotic stories. They went to the tables together to fix their plates and the whole time they chatted together like they had known each other for years instead of a week.

Merle looked over, catching his eye and nodding slightly. Daryl gestured towards the house and Merle nodded again. He needed Merle to come up with something and it looked like that's exactly what he had done. Just in time too because Daryl desperately wanted this over. The uncertainty of where or when or if Ed would strike again was always in the backs of their minds. It was the only dark spot in their lives. Tonight, it ended and he knew he could trust his brother. Merle was smart and resourceful when he needed to be and Daryl knew that Merle loved Carol too. She was Merle's family now and other than Daryl, she was the only family he had and Daryl believed with everything in him that Merle would die to protect her.

Maybe the man had given up. Maybe Ed was finally over Carol leaving, but Daryl was tired of worrying about it. He was tired of looking over his shoulder. Without Ed's shadow constantly following them, they could have a real life here. A good life. He knew that she still had nightmares. They weren't as frequent as they used to be but there were nights that he would have to wake her up from one of those terrifying dreams.

He waited in the kitchen by the back door until Merle slipped in. He glanced around to make sure they were alone and then his eyes locked onto Daryl's. "You still got that little .22 that I gave you a few years back?"

Daryl felt his mouth drop open. "You can't fuckin' shoot him, dumb ass!" He hissed.

Merle sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes for a few long moments, like Daryl was some sort of child that he was losing his patience with. "I ain't. I asked you a goddamn question, can you just answer it?"

Daryl felt his brows pull down in a frown. "Yeah, I still got it but what the hell do you plan on doin' with it?"

There was a strange light that came into Merle's eyes then. "Don't you worry about that. You just go fetch me that little piece and then we wait."

"Is he comin'?"

Merle nodded. "Called her a few minutes ago and said he'd be here around seven. What we do is keep the party goin' till then. We build ourselves a nice big bon fire. Keep everybody happy so they won't want to cut out too early. So far so good. He's suppose to call her when he's on his way."

"I mean it, Merle, if I go get this gun and you end up in prison for life, I'm gonna beat your face in before they can get you cuffed. Swear to me you ain't gonna shoot him."

Merle met his eyes unflinching. "I swear it. I ain't gonna shoot him."

Daryl had no idea why, but he believed him. Usually Merle was a good bullshitter but Daryl could spot it from a mile away. There was truth in his words. Whatever he planned on doing tonight, it somehow didn't have a thing to do with shooting Ed.

He headed to Carol's room to retrieve the gun that Merle had asked for while Merle headed back out to the party. He just had to trust his brother. Hopefully this time, he wouldn't let him down like he had in the past.


	42. Chapter 42

**Here you go! Hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll post the epilogue tomorrow. Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Forty Two**

Carol felt a set of strong arms go around her waist and smiled. She leaned back running her hands down his forearms. They hadn't had a minute alone since earlier that afternoon and it seemed to be bothering him. The thought had her pulse quickening. "You having fun?" She asked, finally turning in his arms.

Instead of answering her his lips met hers softly. They had cleaned up the tables outside while Merle worked on building a fire. Hershel and Annette had called it a night earlier but no one else seemed very eager to leave. Now they were finally alone in the kitchen and it seemed like Daryl had every intention of taking advantage of their time alone.

His hands trailed down over her hips and he groaned, deepening the kiss. Her fingers tangled into his hair as that now familiar heat washed over her. She knew there were guests outside waiting for them to come back out but she wanted him to... well, she simply wanted him.

"Dixon!"

Carol jumped away from him quickly at the sound of the loud feminine voice. When she turned around Tara was standing there grinning at them.

"What the hell do you want?" Daryl growled.

Tara beamed. "Is that any way to speak to an invited guest? You need practice. Your brother sent me in here to get you."

Carol saw his eyes change then. She wasn't sure what she was seeing but it wasn't something she was familiar with. He kissed her quickly and then strolled towards the kitchen door.

Tara's hand snaked out, gripping his forearm. "Hey, I just talked to my sister and she's really impressed with that brother of yours. Maybe tonight really will ease my worry. She told me that her boyfriend asked her to move in with him and she was considering it. If your brother keeps this up, I think she'll realize that she's not ready for something like that."

Daryl offered her a small smile and a nod but then hurried out the door, like he knew what Merle needed.

"Your boyfriend is a damn good guy," Tara said, sitting down an empty bowl on the the counter.

"I do know that," Carol said with a smile.

"You make him happy."

Carol glanced at the girl and then shrugged but inside her stomach was doing strange little flips. "Was he really much different before I came around?"

Tara glanced towards the door. "He just seemed sad sometimes and he seemed damn lonely. Even before his brother got locked up. He's different now."

Carol sighed, a smile lingering at the corners of her mouth as the two of them headed towards the back door. "We're both different."

~H~

Merle stared into the fire for a moment before glancing over at the woman standing next to him. Her demeanor had changed after getting that text from Ed. She didn't smile as often now and he wondered idly if the abuse had already started. He elbowed her lightly.

"Where the hell is your head at, woman?" He asked.

She grinned and then looked over at him. She glanced around and then leaned her head a little closer to his. "I feel a little guilty," she whispered.

His brows pulled down in a frown. "Guilty? What the hell for?"

"Because I've been having fun and I guess I was hoping that Ed wouldn't be able to make it."

"And you don't have fun with this Ed fella?" Merle asked.

She sighed. "I've actually been meaning to call it quits for a while now. At first I only started dating him because I felt sorry for him. He sold me a car and somehow we ended up having a conversation. His ex wife was a complete monster to him and I just went out with him out of pity really."

"And then you got kind of stuck?" Merle asked, thinking to himself that he deserved an Oscar.

"I did. Tara and my other sister have been begging me to dump him and that crap gets on my nerves so that's another reason he's still around. He asked me to move in with him recently though but there's no way in hell that's happening."

"He a bad lay?" Merle asked, just to keep the conversation going.

She laughed at that, bumping his shoulder with hers. "I haven't slept with him!"

He chuckled, turning up his beer and trying to smooth out his nerves. "You move damn slow, woman."

"Not particularly. I'm just not attracted to him like that."

"Not your type, huh?"

"To boring," she sighed.

"Fair enough. So, what's your type then?"

She shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. You?"

He looked up sharply, his brows shooting up at that. She grinned and he glanced around quickly. No one was paying a damn bit of attention to them. He knew that Tara was on her way inside to get his brother but his brother could wait. Ed wouldn't be here for another thirty minutes or so. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the shadows at the other side of the fire.

He was more than surprised at this outcome. His goal, of course, had been to sway her to the dark side but it didn't seem like she needed much prompting. She had just enough bad girl in her to spark his interest but she was still a little on the wholesome side, and that was the part that he was most interested in. He didn't normally go for this type.

Once they were away from the others he stopped, turning abruptly but she was already ahead of him. Her hand snaked around the back of his neck and she pulled his face down to hers. The kiss was demanding, like she was the kind of woman that knew what she wanted, but he was the kind of man that was used to a little more control than this. He realized with a start that he was more turned on than he had any right to be.

"Merle!"

He pulled away just when he was about to slip his hand up her shirt. She took a step away from him then and turned to wave at Daryl, who was standing there with his hands on his hips, giving him what Merle referred to as the _annoyed daddy_ look. Maddy gave Merle one last lingering look and then she slipped away towards the others.

"What the hell was that?" Daryl asked, gesturing towards Maddy's retreating figure.

Merle grinned. "Looks like I'm more her type."

"Well she ain't yours. Did you send that girl in there so I could come out here and watch you maul her damn sister?"

"Quit your caterwaulin' for God's sake. Ed is headin' here now. Time to go watch for him."

Daryl's severe look dissolved and he glanced around nervously. "You gonna tell me what the hell you got up your sleeve now? And why the hell you needed that gun?"

Merle shook his head. "Nope. Can't you just trust me for once?" The reason that he needed that particular gun was because it wasn't traceable. The barrel had been sanded clean and it was illegal as all get out.

Daryl gave him a skeptical look that Merle waved off. Daryl followed him around the side of the house where they waited patiently. Merle was glad that Daryl had given up on trying to get any more information out of him. He hadn't known if the boy would do it. Just slip back into that role of letting Merle take the lead, but he had. Old habits.

"Carol occupied? I don't want her comin' around here once that sack of shit shows up," Merle said gruffly.

Daryl nodded. "Woman spent so much goddamn time stuck in that house with no friends that she's more than happy to hang around out back with the rest of them."

Merle nodded and then elbowed Daryl when he saw headlights bouncing off the trees. "Shows about to start little brother."

Daryl's eyes went cold and hard as the car pulled up behind Glenn's.

Merle decided it was finally time to tell his brother what his big plan was. Daryl stared at him, his eyes wide and disbelieving but before he could say anything Merle cut him off. "This will end his ass, little brother, and you know it."

Daryl looked towards the front, where the sound of a car door slamming had him flinching. "Mother fuck me," he groaned.

"Don't worry about it. I know what I'm doin' here."

"You goddamn well better you son of a bitch," Daryl muttered as the two of them walked towards Ed. The porch light was on but the light didn't reach very far so when Ed stopped halfway up the walk he didn't realize who was coming towards them.

"Well, hello there, asshole," Merle greeted him with a grin.

Ed took a step back, causing Merle to chuckle.

"You know, for a no good sorry sack of shit, you got some damn good taste in women. Anybody ever tell you that before?" Merle asked.

The brothers stopped a few feet away and Ed could finally see who they were. "What the hell is this?" Ed asked, a tremor in his voice.

Merle gestured towards the house. "This? Oh, this is my brother and Carol's place. Damn nice if I don't say so myself." Merle laughed.

"I didn't come out here for any trouble. I was suppose to meet my girlfriend here. I haven't bothered Carol in a while."

"You're girlfriend?" Daryl chuckled and then looked at Merle. "He couldn't be talkin' about the same woman that you've spent all damn day with?"

Ed scoffed. "Maddy wouldn't-"

"Oh yeah, she would. Said she was only with you out of pity and she ain't put out cause you make her a little sick so she's been feelin' up on my rod most of the night, Ed." That wasn't exactly true but the look of outrage on the man's face was damn comical.

"Look, I already said I don't want any trouble. I'll go," Ed said, looking like he wanted to say a lot more but knowing better.

"You think Carol was lookin' for trouble any time you beat the hell out of her?" Daryl growled.

Ed looked between them and took a step back but Merle was done playing. He pulled the gun, aiming it right at the man's face. Daryl walked off towards Merle's right, half circling around. Ed put his hands up and made a scared sound in the back of his throat. "Please. I already said I would leave. I won't cause anymore grief for Carol. You have my word."

"You scared?" Daryl laughed.

Ed nodded.

"What the hell are you doin' Ed?" Merle asked.

Ed looked between the two men again. "What? Nothing! I'm not doing anything! Please let me go!"

"Looks to me like you came out here to settle a score. You wanna hurt my brother?" Merle asked.

"No! I just want to leave!"

"Must have driven you out of your mind knowin' he'd came right into your house and taken your wife. Yeah, it must bother you real bad, lyin' alone in bed at night knowing that a better man than you could ever be has his hands all over the woman you tried to break. Makin' her feel good. Makin' her forget you ever existed. Cause she did, ya know? Any time somebody mentions you, she laughs at what a pathetic piece of shit you were. She ain't scared. Nah, she ain't scared a bit cause she got a man that would break your fuckin' face if he caught you lookin' at her wrong. She wants you to try to hurt her cause she wants Daryl here to beat you till you're pissin' blood."

Merle kept the gun trained on Ed, Ed kept his hands raised, glancing between the two of them and then Merle noticed a dark stain on his pants.

"Ed, did you piss yourself?" Merle laughed.

Daryl looked down then, shaking his head in disgust. "I knew you were a pussy but goddamn, man."

"Just let me go. Let me go and I won't press charges, I swear."

Merle sighed. "You ready, little brother?"

Daryl cursed once more and then nodded. "Might as well get it over with."

Merle moved the gun from Ed and trained it on his brother. Ed gaped at them, too stunned to even move, and then Merle pulled the trigger.

Daryl took the hit high in his shoulder but it nearly spun him around. He cursed and spit and stomped around.

"It's a goddamn flesh wound. Stop bein' such a girl," Merle muttered, and then his eyes swung to Ed. "Ed, you just shot my brother." Merle grinned like a lunatic.

"Wha-"

Merle charged the man, grimacing and trying to avoid getting any of Ed's piss on him. Once Ed was on the ground Merle shoved the gun in his hand, making sure that he closed Ed's fingers around it so it would all be legit if they dusted for prints. It wasn't loaded anymore so he wasn't worried about the man getting off a shot at him. Ed was toast now. The gun itself was illegal and couldn't be traced back to anyone, he had motive to come here to get some revenge. Without killing him, this was the only way Merle could protect Carol and his brother both.

Just like he knew, he heard pounding footsteps coming around from the other side of the house. He made sure not to cause Ed any harm until he knew Shane and Rick had a good look at the man and knew he had been untouched. That was when Merle finally let loose and punched him in the face. His knee shot up, crashing into Ed's groin.

Merle got one more hit in before someone pulled him away. Shane grabbed the gun from Ed's hand, looking very much like he wanted to hit the guy himself.

"The son of a bitch shot me!" Daryl bellowed.

Merle let Rick Grimes drag him back a few feet before he let him go and then hurried over to where Shane was kneeling next to Ed.

"I didn't shoot anyone!" Ed cried.

Shane and Rick shared a look as the others finally caught up. "What," Shane sneered, "You gonna tell me Merle shot him? Rick, call this in. Daryl's gonna need an ambulance. Looks like you've stepped into it this time Ed. Attempted murder? Now that's a charge that I can see sticking."

Merle looked up, meeting Daryl's eyes right before Carol made it to him. He wanted to smile to himself but he didn't dare do that yet. Ed's fun had just begun. He'd end up in prison for sure and Merle knew a whole lot of ass pounding son's of bitches that would be more than happy to dish out a little prison justice to the weak little bitch. All Merle had to do was put the word out. Once Merle decided that Ed had enough all he would have to do was tell his buddies to end him and then Ed would be no more. But he didn't want to do that for a while. He wanted the man to suffer like Carol had suffered. He wanted him to spend his days locked up. He wanted him to know what it was like to be dominated and tormented.

Merle had the ability to make sure that happened to him.


	43. Epilogue

**We are finally here! You have no idea how glad I am that I didn't delete this story without posting it! It has been fun and I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. I have a shorter story that is almost complete that I'll have finished up in a few days and that will buy me some time to finish the big projects. There is no end to my appreciation for every one of you that gave this story a shot. =)**

 **Epilogue**

When Daryl walked inside the house smelled like a bakery and his mouth started watering. She had been busy again today, baking, decorating, not taking it easy like he had tried to tell her to do. The woman didn't listen to anybody.

The thought had him smiling to himself.

Almost two years had passed since he'd picked her up on that cold night and in those two years she had transformed into someone that he never imagined she could be. Ed had tried, but he hadn't broken her. Daryl knew that nothing could.

He tossed his keys onto the table by the door and glanced around the living room. There was more lights winding around the banister, red bows and garland spaced out just right leading all the way up. She had a fire roaring in the fire place and more lights adorned the mantel. The huge tree that stood in front of the Bay windows had more decorations on it than it had when he'd left this morning. He tossed his jacket over the back of the couch and headed towards the kitchen, where he knew she would be.

Sure enough he found her just as she was pulling something out of the oven. She turned, placing the pan down on the island and then looked up, her eyes lighting up like they always did when he came home from work.

"I don't want to hear it, Daryl Dixon. It's the day before Christmas Eve and I have a lot more bags to make."

"Takin' it easy don't mean stay home and work your ass off all day," he said, raising a brow at her.

She snorted and waved him away. "Standing around a kitchen mixing batter and dough is not _not_ taking it easy. I know my body and what I can and can't do. This," she gestured to the assortment of gift bags and tins covering the surface next to the cookies that were now cooling, "This I can do."

"And hangin' the lights?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Merle," she said haughtily. "You just missed him."

Daryl smiled. "Good."

She stepped past him and slapped his arm. "Be nice. That man is too precious."

This had him laughing out loud. "Is that so?"

She nodded. "He's a mess. It's so sweet. Who knew he had a soft spot for pregnant women?"

Daryl made a face. "He's somethin' alright." His eyes slid down to her waist. She was still a little on the small side and that was one of the reasons she was suppose to take it easy. The doctor told them that everything was okay, and would stay that way as long as she didn't get overworked.

She looked down and then grinned at him. "I'm getting fat."

He laughed. "No you're not."

She turned sideways and looked down again. From this angle the roundness of her stomach was much more obvious. "I am. I bet I get big as a horse."

He leaned against the counter and stole one of the cookies. "I thought women were suppose to get all bent out of shape about getting fat? Not stand around and grin about it."

The smile on her face didn't waver as she draped her arms over his shoulders. He stuffed the cookie in his mouth and eyed her as his hands went to her waist. "That's because some women worry about their husbands not wanting them anymore if they get big as a horse. But I don't have to worry about that because you'll love me anyway. And at the rate you go at all these sweets, you'll be fatter than me anyhow."

He narrowed his eyes and chewed slowly. "You callin' me fat now?"

She looked up from below her lashes. "Of course not."

He was about to lean in and kiss her but she danced out of his grip and went back to her work. For a woman that didn't have a friend in the world just two years ago, she was sure as shit popular now. There were gift bags everywhere. Everyone that met her loved her. But he reminded her often that he'd liked her first, which always earned him an eye roll.

"I'm hittin' the shower," he said, grabbing a piece of fudge from a mound stacked on a plate. Thank fuck for a good metabolism cause she was right. He'd been eating his weight in sweets since the middle of December.

She looked up. "That smells like a wonderful idea."

His lips thinned out in a disapproving line. "You know what? You're an awful woman. You've been an awful woman for the past five months. You're mean, you know that? See if I ever knock you up again." He turned on his heel, the sound of her laughter causing him to grin as he took the stairs two at a time.

They had switched rooms again but hadn't moved to the bigger bedroom that Merle had vacated a year ago. Instead they had switched back to his bedroom. Her old room was completely different now, since that was designated for the new Dixon that would be showing up in four short months.

He was still coming to terms with that. It hadn't been something they had planned. It hadn't been something they had discussed. It had been something that they had silently agreed it was time for. Six months ago they got married. That night she had looked him in the eye, held up the birth control pills and stated that she was throwing them out. He'd simply nodded. He'd known for a while that that was what she had wanted. And even though the idea scared the fuck out of him, he wanted it too.

He also knew that this was just the beginning. If she had it her way the damn house would be bulging at the seams with kids. He wanted her to have everything she ever wanted but damn, just the thought was exhausting. She'd likely change her mind and have a more manageable number after this one was born. He hoped so anyway.

Not that he had a problem with a big family. He wouldn't mind that at all. He just thought that him and Merle could split on it. Between the two of them, they could handle a decent number of Dixons. The thought had him chuckling as he rinsed the soap away. Merle had surprised the hell out of all of them when he actually settled down a bit. Him and Maddy lived a few miles away. She was due on New Years.

He had just gotten his pants buttoned when he heard Carol scream his name. His head came up, wide and panicked eyes meeting his in the mirror before he tore out of the bathroom, nearly ripping the door off it's hinges. He literally flew down the stairs, his feet barely touching the steps. The only thing in his mind was that something was either wrong with the baby or something was wrong with her and neither one of those things were things that he could deal with and keep his sanity in check.

He skidded to the bottom, grabbing the railing at the last moment to keep from landing flat on his ass, pivoting on his feet just right so he didn't fall. His eyes darted around the room until they landed on her. She was standing behind the couch, looking at the TV. She hadn't even seemed to have heard the commotion of him nearly breaking his neck on the stairs.

"What's wrong!" He barked.

She jumped at the sound of his voice and turned. Her eyes were huge and she pointed at the TV. She used the remote in her hand to turn it up as he studied the dour woman looking at the camera.

 _"... inmate Ed Peletier, incarcerated for the attempted murder of his ex wife's boyfriend almost two years ago, was found dead this morning. We have insider information that stated Mr. Peletier was brutalized before he was finally beaten to death in the showers early this morning. Mr. Peletier was appealing his case and his chances of release were high-"_

Carol turned the television off when Ed's mugshot showed up on the screen. Daryl was next to her now, waiting for her reaction.

Merle had warned him that this would happen. He had told Daryl time and again that he was making sure Ed paid long and hard for the things he had done to Carol during the five years they had been married. Daryl had always wanted to believe him but when they got the news that he was appealing his case, and would likely win, Daryl had gotten nervous.

Merle had simply told him not to worry, but it was hard not to worry when the very monster that haunted your wife's dreams, the monster that had locked her away and tormented her physically and emotionally, could be walking free. It was enough to make a man damn nervous. Especially since he'd have a daughter in four short months. The thought of a predator like Ed walking free wasn't something he could tolerate.

Again, he should have trusted his brother. When he wanted to, Merle got things done.

"You okay?" He asked, keeping his voice pitched low.

She was staring at the blank screen of the TV, her face impassive. When she looked up at him she tried to smile, but it was brittle. "You know, Ed took a lot of things from me. He took a lot, but I thought that I had gotten it all back after being with you."

He swallowed hard. "But?"

She looked down at her hand that was resting on the small bump of her stomach. "But he did take something, and it's something that's just gone. It isn't something you can get back for me." She paused, like she was trying to find the right words to say and he waited her out patiently. "I like to think that I'm a good person. I like to think that there isn't any bitterness inside of me, regardless of what happened to me-"

"You are," he said firmly, almost angrily.

She shook her head. "If I was then why don't a feel anything other than vindicated? Why do I feel like he got what was coming to him? Daryl, I'm glad that he's dead and my first thought was... It was that I hoped that it hurt. Good people don't feel that way."

He chewed on the inside of his lip for a few long seconds before he spoke, and when he did he made sure she was paying attention. "A good person wouldn't want to bring a little girl into a world where a monster like that was gonna be walkin' the streets. A good person wants her family safe. If that means that she don't feel anything but relieved when some sadistic son of a bitch gets his just desserts, then I think that makes her just a little bit better than she thought she was."

She tilted her head to the side and the brittle smile grew warm. "I love you."

He kissed her quickly. "Yeah?"

She nodded, her smile growing mischievous because she knew where he was heading.

"Even though I'm fat and I smell funny?"

She laughed, shoving him lightly before she turned around to head back to her gift bag making. He watched her go, glancing at the TV with a smug smile.

"You got what you deserved, you sorry bastard. You were too stupid to see how fuckin' good you had it. You can bet your dumb dead ass that I'll spend every minute of my life tryin' to make her forget you ever existed."

 ***side note* We're just going to pretend that the court system is a lot quicker in this world than it is in our own. ;) I didn't want to time jump too far ahead. Again, thanks a ton for reading!**


End file.
